Perhaps the biggest domino of the offseason fell before the start of the Winter Meetings, as the Miami Marlins reached an agreement to trade reigning National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton to the New York Yankees in what was a bit of a surprising move to many.
The trade was made official Monday morning, with the Yankees receiving Starlin Castro and prospects Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers. Prior to Stanton being traded to the Yankees, the Marlins agreed to trades with both the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals.
But Stanton used his no-trade clause to veto both deals. Once that happened, the Los Angeles Dodgers were perceived by many as the favorites to land Stanton.
They were said to be engaged in trade talks with the Marlins, but the remaining 10 years and $295 million on Stanton’s contract ultimately was too much for the Dodgers to take on as they are prioritizing getting under the luxury tax threshold.
While it is unknown how far the Dodgers and Marlins got in their discussions for Stanton, his agent Joel Wolfe said that they were never presented with the option, via Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
Joel Wolfe on the Dodgers' interest in Giancarlo Stanton: "They were never able to make a deal with the Marlins. So we were never presented with them as a viable option. That’s about all I can say."
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) December 11, 2017
The Yankees ultimately took on $265 million of Stanton’s contract, which allowed them to complete a trade without sending top prospects to the Marlins.
While they were hesitant to take on Stanton’s full salary, the Dodgers reportedly offered a trade package to the Marlins that consisted of better prospects than what they received from the Yankees or were offered in talks with other clubs.
Although they didn’t get Stanton, the Dodgers still may be involved in discussions with the Marlins in the near future as they still have two assets in outfielders Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich, whose contracts are much more team-friendly than Stanton’s.
