Jeter: Stanton didn’t want to be part of Marlins’ rebuilding

MIAMI » Derek Jeter says when his ownership group took over the Miami Marlins in October, he thought Giancarlo Stanton would be with the team in 2018.

Stanton says Marlins officials threatened to keep him for the rest of his career.

In the end, Miami dealt the National League MVP to the New York Yankees. The trade was made because Stanton didn’t want to be part of the Marlins’ latest rebuilding, Jeter said Monday.

Jeter said the deal with his former team was the best one available to the Marlins, giving them much-needed financial flexibility and upgrading a weak farm system. The Marlins’ new CEO made his comments shortly before Stanton held a news conference at baseball’s winter meetings in Lake Buena Vista to discuss a trade being celebrated in New York but panned by beleaguered Marlins fans.

Jeter wants to reduce his revenuestarved franchise’s payroll by at least 20 percent to $90 million or less, and Stanton will make $25 million next year. But trading him wasn’t a given, Jeter said.

“I told him, ‘When we acquired this team, our thoughts were that you were going to be with us,”’ Jeter said. “I relayed to him we wanted him to be a part of the organization, but it’s his choice. He said he wanted to move on. There were three great options for him, and he chose which one he wanted to go to.”

Stanton had a no-trade clause in his record contract, for which he is owed $295 million over the next 10 seasons. Last week he turned down prospective trades to St. Louis and San Francisco before accepting the Yankees’ deal.

At Stanton’s news conference, the All-Star right fielder confirmed he opted to move on from Miami in a meeting with Jeter.