Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Giancarlo Stanton & The Yankees


I think this was inevitable wasn't it? The Marlins have said that they are willing to listen to offers on Giancarlo " Don't Call Me Mike" Stanton and I am sure that his phone has been blown up ever since. I hope that one of those calls came from Brian Cashman because Giancarlo is one of those once in a life time franchise type players that is cost effective, under team control for what seems like forever, plays a position that we actually need in Right Field, and well I could go on and on about him but anybody who has watched baseball over the past couple of years knows what Giancarlo would bring to the Yankees.


Entering his age 23 season, a season where he is not even arbitration eligible yet and after a season where he led the majors in slugging, he does not make much sense for the Marlins to trade. He mashes the ball, he brings in fans, and he is cheap. He sounds like the prototypical Marlins player and he would only hurt himself if he went out and let his unhappiness with the teams personnel decisions run over onto his on the field play. The real question will be do the Marlins really intend on trading Stanton? If the answer is yes then will the Yankees have enough in the farm to match or trump a team like, for examples sake, the Seattle Mariners?


Let us remember that the Yankees no longer have Jesus Montero sitting in AAA mashing the ball, Austin Romine is not arguably the Yankees second best prospect anymore, Manny Banuelos is not the guy that could not walk a guy and dominated major league hitting in Spring Training, Dellin Betances cannot find the catcher if his life depended on it, and the upper levels are basically barren or filled with veterans waiting for their shot. The Yankees lower levels are full of talent, namely Tyler Austin, Dante Bichette Jr, Mason Williams, Slade Heatcott, Mark Montgomery, etc etc etc. Would the Marlins take guys in the lower levels of A ball for Giancarlo? If they would do we have enough to trump a team with a great farm system? My gut tells me no so my gut tells me not to expect Giancarlo in pinstripes.


Then again this is just the kind of big, under the radar type signing/trade that Brian Cashman has been accustomed to pulling off. Here's to hoping that Giancarlo becomes a Yankee and we all forget about what has been a terribly disappointing off season.