Marlins Are Winning Despite Paying a Yankees Star Millions

The Miami Marlins just concluded one of the best months in franchise history, going 20-6 throughout June. They outscored opponents 129-78. It was truly an impressive showing that pretty much nobody saw coming.

One of the biggest talking points surrounding the Marlins this season has been their payroll. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, Miami has the lowest competitive balance tax payroll in MLB. It’s insane that a team paying so little for its roster is able to field such a competitive club. There’s truly nothing crazier than that.

The best team in baseball in June, by a decent margin, is the Miami Marlins. They're about to go 20-6, have outscored opponents 129-78 this month and have the lowest CBT payroll in MLB. The Marlins' third-highest-paid player is Giancarlo Stanton, who last played for them in 2017.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 1, 2026

Right?

Well, if one looks deeper at the numbers, something even more tantalizing and strange jumps off the page. The Marlins' highest-paid player this season is Sandy Alcantara, who is making $17 million this year. Next up is Pete Fairbanks with a salary of $13 million. Next up is Giancarlo Stanton at $10 million.

Wait, what?

Yes, you heard that right. Stanton, whom the Marlins traded to the New York Yankees in 2017 for a package that revolved around Starlin Castro and a couple of minor leaguers, is the third-highest-paid player on the Marlins right now. Miami is actively paying for a player on another team — one that has the most money in the sport, mind you — while also winning at a level it hasn’t seen in quite some time. That truly has to be one of the most impressive feats of the season.

The Marlins Are Still on the Hook for Millions

Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Part of the deal for Stanton back in 2017 included the Marlins offsetting $30 million of the massive contract that was on the books for the slugger. As of now, that money is still on the books.

There’s no denying that trading Stanton was a decision that ultimately backfired in the end. Not only has he had a good — yet injury-riddled — career with the Yankees, but the return of Starlin Castro, Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers just never bore fruit. If anybody can say what their favorite memory of Castro in a Marlins jersey is, then that’s mighty impressive.

Perhaps the greatest story out of the Stanton trade isn’t any of the accolades that he’s put up in his time away from the Marlins or even the lackluster performance of the players who arrived in Miami in his absence.

The best tale of this whole situation is that the Marlins are winning despite the odds saying they can’t. They don’t spend money on players. In fact, they’re actively spending money on a player who hasn’t played for their team in nine years. Yet, everything just seems to work.

That’s truly nuts.

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