Late Friday night, rumors started to heat up that the Yankees and Marlins were working towards a deal that would send Giancarlo Stanton, the reigning NL MVP and home run king, to New York. When I went to bed around midnight, it still seemed like a long shot. Fast forward to this morning and the deal is imminent.
Right off the bat, Stanton is an insane addition to an already ridiculous lineup. The Yankees hit the most home runs in baseball last season (241) and just added a player who led the majors in homers (59). The middle of the lineup will feature Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird, and Didi Gregorius. All five of those players have 30 home run potential, with Judge and Stanton aiming for 60.
Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Didi Gregorius combined for 169 home runs in 2017.
The Red Sox hit 168.
— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) December 9, 2017
At this point it seems the only major leaguer going to Miami will be Starlin Castro. Castro is owed about $10.8M in 2018, and shedding payroll was mandatory for the Yankees to make this deal happen because they are still looking to be under the tax threshold entering the 2019 season. Reports indicate they tried to offload Jacoby Ellsbury in the deal, but Miami didn’t want to take on his $68M+. I don’t blame them. Ellsbury is essentially dead weight with no place in the Yankees stacked outfield, and Jeter’s Marlins were not going to bail the Yankees out of that situation.
It also looks like some mid-level prospects are headed to Miami, but nothing official has been announced. That is good news for Yankees fans because it means guys like Gleyber Torres, Chance Adams, and Estevan Florial aren’t going anywhere.
One name to keep an eye on is Clint Frazier. Frazier is no longer considered a prospect because he spent too much time in the majors last year, but if he is in the deal, it would certainly change things. On the flip side, the Yankees outfield now features Judge, Stanton, Hicks, Gardner, and Ellsbury, which means Frazier is seriously blocked.
It’s not all roses for the Yankees however. Stanton is owed a lot — and I mean a LOT — of money. His contract breaks down like this:
2018: $25 million
2019: $26 million
2020: $26 million – Opt out after this season
2021: $29 million
2022: $29 million
2023: $32 million
2024: $32 million
2025: $32 million
2026: $29 million
2027: $25 million
2028: $25 million team option/$10 million buyout
That adds up to $295 million over 10 years. You can point to the 2020 opt out, but barring the next 3 years being a disaster for Stanton and the Yankees, I don’t expect him to walk away from all that cash in his 30s.
The similarities with the Alex Rodriguez trade before the 2004 season are obvious. Then, the Yankees added a superstar with a ridiculous contract to a team that was already stacked. Now, they’re doing the same thing. That will not sit well with a lot of fans because of the circus that came to the Bronx along with ARod. I get feeling that way, but what I don’t get is fans who aren’t excited about watching this lineup in 2018 and beyond.
A message to all the Yankees fans not happy with this Stanton trade pic.twitter.com/6BaIUFFybE
— Andrew (@Andrew_Rotondi) December 9, 2017
Finally, quick shoutout to Didi for being the best. Man, this team is going to be fun to follow.
@AaronBoone Hey Skip am i still batting 4th ??? pic.twitter.com/oUadnUmf7i
— Sir Didi Gregorius (@DidiG18) December 9, 2017
