Yanks are no longer young, lovable overachievers after making vintage Bomber move of acquiring $295M man Giancarlo Stanton from Marlins.
Cashman’s big catch: Reeling in Giancarlo
YANKEES FANS are on the verge of receiving an early Christmas present: 2017 NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton.
Bombers GM Brian Cashman has a stunning blockbuster deal in place with Derek Jeter and the desperate Marlins to land the 28-year-old slugger, who blasted an MLB-best 59 homers last season, sources confirmed to the Daily News on Saturday.
In exchange, the Yankees will send Miami Starlin Castro and a pair of prospects.
The deal is pending a physical. The Yankees are one of the teams Stanton has said he would waive his no trade-clause for.
Jorge Guzman, one of the two Yankee prospects in the deal, is a 21-year-old pitcher who was just ranked as the organization’s seventh-best prospect by Baseball America, behind fellow hurlers Justus Sheffield (No. 3), Chance Adams (No. 4) and Albert Abreu (No. 6). The other prospect is shortstop Jose Devers.
Stanton is due $295 million over the next 10 years, and the Yankees have made it a mandate that they will get under the $197 million luxury-tax threshold for 2018. According to multiple reports, the Bombers will pick up $265 million of the $295 million Stanton is owed from his MLB-record 13-year, $325 million deal with the Marlins. Stanton can opt out of his deal after the 2020 season. He will make $77 million from 2018-2020, including $25 million next year.
Veterans Jacoby Ellsbury, Chase Headley, Brett Gardner and Castro had all been mentioned as possibilities going to Miami, with Ellsbury seen as unlikely given he still has $68 million and three years remaining on his albatross of a deal, plus a no-trade clause. Castro has two years and almost $23 million left on his contract; Headley and Gardner each are entering the final year of their respective deals.
Aside from their top pitching prospects, the Bombers were also able to keep top position-player prospects Gleyber Torres (No. 1), Estevan Florial (No. 2) and Miguel Andujar (No. 5) out of the deal.
Still, Marlins director of player development and scouting Gary Denbo, who left the Bombers to reunite with Jeter, knows the Yankees’ system as well as anyone, so he’s more apt to find the next Robinson Cano than the next Joaquin Arias.
So much for not getting Shohei Ohtani. This is some type of consolation prize. And so much for the Bombers being considered “likeable.” No, this would mean the Evil Empire is back, the type of seismic, game-changing deal that was A-Rod for Alfonso Soriano in 2004, under similar circumstances.
Yes, George Steinbrenner would probably be proud of his son Hal for this one. If Stanton says yes and passes his physical, as expected, first-year manager Aaron Boone would have the luxury of setting up his 2018 lineup with Aaron Judge, Stanton and Gary Sanchez hitting 2-3-4, if he so desires.
The 6-7 Judge (52) and the 6-foot-6 Stanton (59) – the home run kings in the AL and NL last season – combined for 111 homers in 2017.
But is this town big enough for the both of them?
Can there be a Judge’s Chambers, and, as one clever Twitter user suggested, a Stanton Island?
Back in May, Stanton got annoyed simply by having to answer so many questions about the emerging yet humble Judge. How will he deal with actual adversity in this city, where it’s championship or bust? He’s also had his share of injuries, averaging 115 games from 2012-16 due to various ailments, though he did play in 159 games in 2017. Judge, the AL Rookie of the Year and runner-up for AL MVP, had offseason shoulder surgery but is expected to be ready for spring training.
This all seems like the perfect storm, given that it never felt like it was going to happen. The Bombers finished second in the majors in runs scored last season, and really need starting pitching, not a second power-hitting superstar right fielder. CC Sabathia, 37, is a candidate to return on a one-year deal, joining Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, Sonny Gray and Jordan Montgomery in the rotation.
Alex Cobb has been mentioned as a possibility, and the Yankees could be in position to trade a prospect like Clint Frazier for a starter as well. But a rare opportunity such as this one proved to be a perfect storm of sorts, with Stanton holding all the cards and Jeter and the Marlins trying to get out of a reported $400 million debt. Miami had deals in place with the Cardinals and Giants, but both teams backed out with Stanton not wanting to play in either St. Louis or San Francisco, opening the door for the Yankees. Stanton is from
Southern California, but it doesn’t appear the Dodgers were serious about bringing the hometown slugger back to L.A.
Stanton, a four-time All-Star, is a career .268/.360/.554 career hitter with 267 homers over eight seasons, all with the Marlins.
Cashman reportedly told Jeter that he’d rather have Troy Tulowitzki than the then 36-year-old shortstop when the two sides were contentiously negotiating Jeter’s final contract in the offseason following the 2010 campaign. Eight years later, you wonder if Jeter will get a World Series ring from his old team if the Bombers win it all.
The Yankees had always been seen as a favorite to land Bryce Harper and/or Manny Machado in 2019, though it seems like this acquisition could push Harper elsewhere. It is also possible that a year from now, Stanton’s deal could seem a lot more favorable if Harper receives a contract in the $40 million per year range.