MLB trade rumor grade: Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees?

The most important part of every Giancarlo Stanton rumor right now is this: The Marlins haven’t officially put him on the trading block. Teams keep calling because they know the Marlins are a) weird and b) for sale, but they’re inbound calls. The Marlins aren’t actively soliciting offers.

That written, we absolutely have to respond to this rumor:

Yankees checked in on Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton

Before the 2017 MLB Home Run Derby, reporters surrounded Stanton and asked him about Aaron Judge. They surrounded Judge and asked him about Stanton. Baseball’s two beefiest dinger boys had an unofficial, forced rivalry, just because they shared a similar physique, and you could see by the exasperation in their eyes that they were sick of the comparisons.

What if they could join forces, though? It would be like Hulk Hogan teaming up with Macho Man Randy Savage. And then the Yankees could make Stanton’s or Judge’s significant other the manager. And then they could get in a fight when that significant other starts paying more attention to ....

Or maybe Stanton and Judge could just hit 90 homers a year together for the next 10 years. That’s probably more realistic, even if it’s completely unrealistic.

How legit is this rumor? Well, we’ll have to grade it.

I can’t answer that.

There is an answer. It’s that the contract is essentially a debt, and it’s almost a quarter-billion dollars, and that makes a difference for an owner trying to sell his team. But I can’t answer whether or not that’s actually a good idea.

Are you interested in reading about just how weird the Marlins are? Well, friend, I have a link for you. They might look at Stanton as if he’s a line item, a debit, something to expunge if they get a chance, while the rest of us look at him like he’s Miami baseball, a proof of concept — someone who can define a franchise.

They probably shouldn’t trade Stanton.

Dingers.

So many dingers.

And while I’d like to leave it at that, let’s look at the Yankees’ outfield future from an objective standpoint:

In addition, there is Dustin Fowler in the wings, and he looks like a potential long-term solution in center field.

That means the Yankees have a chance to have an Ozuna-Yelich-Stanton of their own, and they wouldn’t have to pay nearly as much for the next six years.

On the other hand, Stanton is Stanton. Stanton-literally anyone-Judge is one of the most compelling, hilarious outfields in major league history, and we should support the idea behind it. Unless you don’t like the Yankees. Which is the majority of everyone reading this, so maybe we’ll have to rejigger a few things.

If there’s a team that could handle Stanton’s contract, it would be the Yankees. Check their guaranteed contracts:

2018 - $114 million
2019 - $74M
2020 - $62M
2021 - $22M

That doesn’t mean they’re going to run out into the middle of the street with their pants off and sign six different all-stars just because they can. But they’re one of two or three teams in baseball that can absorb Stanton’s contract like he’s a regular superstar, not one of the highest-paid players in baseball.

So there’s a chance.

It’s just not a great chance. Remember that the Marlins aren’t actively shopping Stanton and how it sure makes sense for the new owners to keep him around as an example of how baseball can be great in Miami. Then remember that Frazier and Judge might man the corners for the Yankees for years, which means that unless Frazier goes in the trade, there isn’t an obvious place for Stanton.

It’s a beautiful, hilarious dream. But I can’t call it a great rumor just yet.

It’s a C. It would be a D-, except the Yankees have the prospects to get it done, and they have the finances to get it done. That means there’s a chance.

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So don’t rule it out. That doesn’t mean it’s likely, though. It’s pretty unlikely.