Things are smoking today, my friends.
Not only did we finally get a (sad) conclusion in the Shohei Ohtani saga, but things finally started moving on the Giancarlo Stanton trade front, with word that he had four teams to which he’d approve a trade, none of which were the Cardinals or Giants, each of which subsequently said he’d rejected trades to them.
That gave all the leverage to the other teams that are actually interested – the Dodgers and Yankees – and it looks like the Yankees are wasting no time:
#Yankees in play for Stanton, sources tell The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 9, 2017
Sources: Yankees making progress on a trade for Giancarlo Stanton. One source cautioned nothing done. Another was confident it’s moving toward that. Either way, momentum for Stanton to Yankees is significant.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2017
At this point, the Marlins will have to be thankful if they can get significant salary relief in a deal like this, and probably won’t see a huge return, too.
For the Yankees, the opportunity to put a star like Stanton in a lineup already full of young talent is probably overwhelmingly tantalizing, especially after missing out on Ohtani. Given the alternatives, I’d be fine with seeing Stanton head to New York. Batting practice with him, Aaron Judge, and Gary Sanchez would become a pay-per-view event.
Arguable bonus? If the Yankees land Stanton, it might make them less serious players for Bryce Harper next offseason …
UPDATE: Eh, it might not happen tonight, though:
#Marlins source on status of Stanton discussions with #Yankees: “Talking. Not close.”
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 9, 2017
There’s progress on Yankees Stanton talk and hope, but hurdles remain. It’d likely be a mix of prospects with a high-priced veteran “(s) going to Miami too.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 9, 2017
UPDATE 2: If you’d told me a few years ago that Starlin Castro might be involved in a trade for Giancarlo Stanton, I wouldn’t have thought it was part of some kind of crazy, complex salary dump:
Source: Starlin Castro’s name has surfaced in #Yankees, #Marlins trade discussions on Giancarlo Stanton. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 9, 2017
Please don’t send Starlin into baseball purgatory …
UPDATE 3: How in focus? HOW IN FOCUS?
#Yankees are indeed making a move to try to land Stanton. Deal coming into focus
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 9, 2017
Source: #Dodgers remain involved in Giancarlo Stanton trade discussions, but #Yankees talks with #Marlins have reached a more advanced stage. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 9, 2017