The Boston Red Sox never really seemed in the running to acquire Giancarlo Stanton, and the team bowed out of the sweepstakes surprisingly quick.
When Stanton shot down trades to the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants, some wondered whether the Red Sox might circle back and get involved. Seemingly hours later, however, the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees struck a deal sending Stanton to the Bronx.
The move frustrated Red Sox fans, and rightfully so. Boston certainly could have matched (and even surpassed) the package presented by the Yankees, and if the Red Sox were willing to take on a good chunk of Stanton’s $295 million contract, they certainly would have been a player.
There was, however, only one problem: Stanton, who had a full no-trade clause, didn’t want to come to Boston. That was the obvious assumption, and it was confirmed by Miami president of baseball operations Michael Hill on Monday at the MLB winter meetings.
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As you see, the only one of the four teams on Stanton’s approved list? The Yankees, and thus, Stanton is a Yankee.
In the end, the Marlins’ decision to give Stanton no-trade protection ended up significantly diminishing the club’s potential to maximize the return on the recently named National League Most Valuable Player, who happens to be coming off a 59-home run season in 2017. It also diminished teams like the Cardinals, Giants or even the Red Sox, as Stanton held the power all along.
It worked out brilliantly for the Yankees, though.
As for the Red Sox and the American League East, the ball’s in there court now. With the winter meetings underway in Orlando, it seems like a matter of time before the Yankees’ main rival strikes back.
