At this time last year, Giancarlo Stanton was nowhere to be found on the Yankees’ radar. He was coming off a historic 59-homer season and was about to be named NL MVP, and while the Marlins made it clear they were ready to tear things down, Stanton and his contract didn’t seem to fit the luxury tax plan. Besides, the Yankees already had Aaron Judge in right field, and he’s the closest thing to Stanton in baseball.
Fast forward to December 9th. Stanton had used his no-trade clause to block deals to the Cardinals and Giants, and he reportedly told the Marlins he would only accept a trade to four teams: Astros, Cubs, Dodgers, and Yankees.