The Miami Marlins have reportedly agreed to a deal to send Giancarlo Stanton to the New York Yankees, depriving the Boston Red Sox of a top trade target.
This is the worst nightmare for Boston Red Sox fans. We entered the offseason prioritizing a power threat and the reigning home run king happened to be available on the trade market.
Unfortunately, Giancarlo Stanton wasn’t interested in coming to Boston. His no-trade clause gave Stanton control over his own fate, so when the Red Sox weren’t on his list of approved destinations they moved on.
It seemed as if the California-native was pushing for a trade that would send him closer to home, with the Los Angeles Dodgers being at the top of Stanton’s wish list. Fine, if the Red Sox couldn’t get him then at least the other top suitors were all in the National League.
Then this happened.
sources: yankees and marlins have a deal for giancarlo stanton
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 9, 2017
Seeing this report was a devastating stomach-punch for Red Sox fans. Not only would the NL MVP not be coming to Boston, he’ll be going to their arch-rival instead.
So much for the idea that Stanton wanted to go home. He reportedly vetoed a trade that would have sent him to the San Francisco Giants. The St. Louis Cardinals made a strong push but Stanton wouldn’t go to the Midwest either.
Why the Yankees? It’s not as if they had a pressing need for more power after leading the league in home runs this year. New York doesn’t get Stanton much closer to home than Boston would have. You can’t even argue that the Yankees give Stanton the better chance to win considering the Red Sox have won consecutive division titles.
It’s not just that he’s going to the Yankees that stings, it’s that Stanton seemed to rule out Boston as a destination for reasons that should have ruled out New York as well.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has repeatedly expressed his intent to get the payroll below the luxury tax this year but once Stanton became available that plan apparently went out the window.
Now the Yankees may have the first pair of teammates to slug 50+ homers in a season since Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris wore pinstripes in 1961.
How will the Red Sox counter? At this point they have to be all in on signing J.D. Martinez. He’s the only available player who compares to Stanton and if you look at more than home run totals he’s arguably been better than the Yankees new superstar over the last few years.
— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) December 9, 2017
Is anyone going to be satisfied with signing Eric Hosmer or Carlos Santana now? Can Red Sox fans look at those options and honestly say, “Yeah, we can compete with the Yankees with this lineup!”
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If the Red Sox can’t land Martinez then they would be better off keeping the powder keg dry for an explosive winter next year when they can chase Bryce Harper or Manny Machado. Nothing else would be enough to keep pace with the blockbuster move the Yankees pulled off.
So, to recap – Derek Jeter bought the Marlins using mostly other people’s money, gutted the team and sent their franchise player to the Yankees. It’s almost as if purchasing the team was all an elaborate ploy to bring another championship back to New York. If the Yankees win a World Series with Stanton don’t be surprised if they send a ring to Jeter.
We should note that the deal isn’t official yet. Stanton hasn’t signed off on the deal, although he’s expected to. It’s possible that Stanton is merely using the Yankees as leverage to push the Dodgers to act, yet a last-ditch effort by Los Angeles doesn’t appear to be forthcoming.
Perhaps the deal will fall apart and this will have been nothing more than a bad dream. Other teams have gotten this far in talks with Miami only for Stanton to squash the deal. This time feel different though. Maybe because it’s the Yankees involved and we’ve been programmed to expect that the Evil Empire will always get what they want.
It may be time for Red Sox fans to accept that the Yankees are the new front runners in the AL East and will remain in that position unless Boston’s brass makes a significant counter. Your move, Dave Dombrowski.