The Yankees didn’t get mad. They got Stanton.
Spurned by Shohei Ohtani, the Yankees pivoted to make a George Steinbrenner maneuver in a Hal Steinbrenner fashion.
Acquiring Giancarlo Stanton fits comfortably into The Boss’ model — a theatrical acquisition of a major star to the annoyance of the sport. But the Yanks were in position to deal because Hal permitted Brian Cashman to clean up the payroll and build up the farm system the past few years to such an extent that the Yanks can make a George win-now move without losing the Hal-ordered flexibility and vitality for their future.
As of Saturday afternoon, the trade was not finalized. The Yanks requested Stanton take a full physical in New York in exchange for absorbing $265 million of the $295 million Stanton is due over the next 10 years. If completed — which is the expectation either Sunday or Monday — the Yankees will receive the NL MVP and $30 million payable if Stanton does not opt out of his contract after the 2020 season.
In return, the Yankees surrendered Starlin Castro and toolsy prospects in pitcher Jorge Guzman and shortstop Jose Devers, neither of whom are close to the majors or part of the Yanks’ elite prospect list.
It is a rather discount price to put the star and homer power of Stanton with Aaron Judge, and also Gary Sanchez, providing more righty long ball might than perhaps any time in franchise history.
As one competing executive said: “Activate search for righty relievers in 3, 2, 1…”
To think 10 days ago the Yankees were the perceived favorites for Ohtani and Stanton was, at best, a backburner issue. After all, the Yanks were prioritizing starting pitching and did not hunger for an outfielder or a righty power bat. Ohtani did not even provide the Yankees a face-to-face meeting and agreed on Friday to go to the Angels.
By then, the Yankees were working hard on Stanton. Because they did not need him, the Yanks could afford to be judicious and wait out the desperate Marlins, who only grew more desperate to move as much of the $295 million as possible after he refused to waive his no-trade clause to go to the Cardinals and Giants, who both announced that fact Friday and dropped out of the chase.
Stanton had indicated the Dodgers, his childhood favorite team while growing up in Southern California, were his top choice, the Yankees were second and that he would probably also say yes to the Astros.
The Dodgers have such immediate issues with luxury tax and debt service that the only way they would take on the problematic 10 years left on Stanton was if the Marlins absorbed unfavorable contracts of players such as Adrian Gonzalez and/or Scott Kazmir, plus took on more money than $30 million. The Marlins were never drawn to that. The Dodgers are perhaps a year away from having their payroll cleaned up to where this deal would have been more palatable for them.
But the Yankees were in position now because, among other things, most of Brian McCann’s contract was dealt last offseason, and the weighty pacts of Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia concluded after last season. The Yanks were willing to make a financial arrangement similar to the Cardinals and Giants as long as it worked out well for their vow to stay under the $197 million luxury-tax threshold in 2018.
Whether Stanton opts out or not, the $30 million the Marlins plan to eat if he does reduces how much he counts toward the luxury tax from $25 million to $22 million in 2018. Castro, owed $22 million the next two years, counts $8.6 million. Together Stanton and whatever minimum wage-ish second baseman (Gleyber Torres, Tyler Wade, Thairo Estrada or Ronald Torreyes) plays second will cost the Yanks combined in 2018 for luxury-tax purposes about what Matt Holliday and Castro cost in 2017.
Still, the Yanks’ priority remains starting pitching, and structuring the deal this way allows them to believe they can re-sign Sabathia and add another starter, perhaps through a trade using someone like Clint Frazier, who became more expendable with the addition of the 28-year-old Stanton.
As another executive said, “You think some starting pitchers will want to go [to the Yankees] to be supported by that lineup?”
The Yankees scored the second-most runs last year without a full season from Greg Bird and without Stanton. The plan is for Stanton, Judge and Brett Gardner to rotate between the corner outfield and DH slot.
“They almost just went to the World Series, and now they have generated even more excitement among their fans to come to a game or watch on TV, and that always is how the Yankees are going to behave,” another executive said.
Castro is actually four months younger than Stanton, and his presence mattered as well. The Marlins did not want dead weight like Gonzalez from the Dodgers, they wanted someone like Castro, who they could either play or spin for more prospects. So the Yanks’ several-year plan to get younger by obtaining players such as Castro also benefitted them, as did bolstering the system.
The Yankees, as they prefer to do, traded from strength in power righty pitching and middle infield, where they have accumulated multiple players ahead of both Guzman and Devers. To take on as much money as they did, the Yanks were not going to relinquish their better prospects. But in a perfect storm, Gary Denbo went from running the Yankees’ minor leagues to being a top Derek
Jeter lieutenant with the Marlins, so he knows Guzman and Devers well and is said to really like them.
But let’s face it, he is not going to like those prospects as much as the Yankees are going to love adding the NL MVP in his prime at discounted prices. A George move made possible by a Hal world.