First things first: There isn’t a single Major League Baseball team that wouldn’t love to have Giancarlo Stanton in its lineup, all things being equal.
So, with the Miami Marlins looking to trade the slugger this winter, there figures to be no shortage of interest. Of course, there only are a few teams who meet the criteria necessary to swing a Stanton deal: lots of money (he has $295 million left on his contract), an enticing package of players and a destination for which Stanton would waive his no-trade clause.
Guess who checks off all those boxes? The New York Yankees.
The Yankees are one of a handful of teams who have checked in with the Marlins on Stanton, according to FanragSports.com. The Yankees reportedly are one of eight teams who has talked to the Marlins about their star outfielder, but the Yankees don’t (yet) seem like a front-runner or even a serious player. Reports indicate the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants are the clubs most interested at the moment.
What makes the Yankees interesting, of course, is negotiations would involve New York great Derek Jeter, who now is part of the ownership group in Miami. Imagine if one of Jeter’s first moves as owner was to trade a likely MVP who just hit 59 home runs to the only other team he’s known?
Whether the Yankees actually need Stanton, however, is a worthwhile debate. Sure, contending teams always want to get better, but it’s not like the Yankees don’t have power. Aaron Judge has been compared to Stanton, and the likes of Greg Bird and Gary Sanchez could be stalwarts in the middle of the Bronx Bombers’ order for years to come.
There’s also the matter of money. The Yankees certainly aren’t known to pinch pennies, but they have intentions of getting below the luxury tax, and Stanton would end that hope. With the 2018Â free agency class looking downright historic, the Yankees also might decide to wait a year to make their big splash.
The Yankees reportedly reached out to the Marlins about Stanton in July, but then-Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria didn’t want to make the trade in the midst of selling the team. ESPN’s Buster Olney also floated the idea of a Stanton trade involving Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, but that was more hypothetical than anything else, and one could argue Stanton’s value now is even higher than it was than in July.
