Posted on December 9, 2017, by Bryan Zarpentine
Image via usatoday.com
Giancarlo Stanton is heading to the Bronx. Reports coming out early Saturday morning indicate that the New York Yankees have a deal in place to acquire Stanton from the Miami Marlins. Stanton still has to officially waive his no-trade clause in order to make the deal official. However, it’s been reported that the Yankees were one of four teams for whom Stanton could agree to waive his no-trade clause.
As part of the deal, the Yankees have agreed to take on $265 million of the $295 million left on Stanton’s contract the Marlins. That is a substantial amount and frees the Marlins of the great burden that Stanton’s contract was set to become. Prior to the trade, the Yankees were hoping to get under the luxury tax threshold, which is obviously more difficult to do with Stanton on the books. It will be interesting to see if the Yankees attempt to trade players like Brett Gardner or Chase Headley as a way to offset the cost of Stanton.
In terms of players, Starlin Castro appears to the most established player heading to Miami as part of the deal. The Marlins will also receive prospects Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers. Guzman is a 21-year old pitcher ranked as New York’s no. 9 prospect, according to MLB.com. He features a plus-plus fastball, but only pitched in short-season ball last year, so he’s a few years away from the majors. Guzman is an 18-year old shortstop who only made his pro debut this past season, so he’s even further from the majors.
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Once the deal is complete, the Yankees will have a lineup that includes both Stanton, the reigning National League MVP, and Aaron Judge, the American League’s rookie of the year. The Yankees also have young hitters like Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird, and Clint Frazier who will also be important members of the team’s lineup for years to come. That is a frightening lineup for a team that was one game away from playing in the World Series in 2017.
Trading away Castro also creates a vacancy in New York’s infield for top-prospect Gleyber Torres. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in June and only having 81 at-bats in triple-A, Torres is unlikely to be with the Yankees on opening day. But he figures to make his big league debut at some point in 2018, adding more firepower to an already dangerous Yankees lineup.
As for the Marlins, trading Stanton accomplishes their biggest goal of the offseason. Freeing themselves from most of his contract will go a long way toward helping them reach their payroll target of around $90 million. Trading for Castro also helps them fill the hole in their middle infield created after they traded Dee Gordon to the Mariners earlier this week. The Marlins may not be done making trades and cutting payroll, but this is a big step in the right direction.
In the end, Stanton may be the biggest winner of this deal. He manipulated the no-trade clause in his contract to perfection. Stanton knew the Marlins wanted to trade him and he ultimately forced them to trade him to a place where he wanted to go. After being part of a losing team in Miami his entire career, Stanton will soon join a team will be World Series contenders for many years to come.