By Matt Ferris
The New York Yankees have had a very active o5sewason so far in 2017.
After parting ways with former manager Joe Girardi, New York started its search for a new manager. Several names surfaced in the job search, including Eric Wedge, Rob Thomson, Chris Woodward and Hensley Meulens. But the Yankees eventually went with Aaron Boone, a former Yankees player.
Still not satisfied, Yankees general manager, Brian Cashman set his sights on improving the team even more.
Cashman focused his efforts toward reigning NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton. He was made available by the Marlins, but because of his no-trade clause, he had the ultimate say on where he was going.
Stanton made a list of possible teams he would play for, and the Yankees made that list.
After several rumors that included Stanton going to the Cardinals or the Giants surfaced, Yankees’ fans thought they had no shot at the slugger.
But on Saturday morning, out of nowhere, it was revealed that a deal was in place to send Stanton to New York. The deal included Starlin Castro and two single A prospects.
The deal was eventually approved by the MLB, making Stanton the newest member of the Bronx Bombers.
Stanton, who led the MLB in home runs last season with 59, will join the already dangerous lineup that hit the most home runs as a team in 2017.
Considering the talent of Stanton, the Yankees hardly gave up anything in exchange. New York barely dipped into their extremely talented farm system, not touching any of the top 30 prospects.
On top of keeping their best prospects, the Yankees were able to deal Castro, an infielder, making room for the Yankees’ best prospect, Gleyber Torres, to get a chance.
The only downside to the trade is the contract of Stanton. He was signed by the Marlins to a 13 year, $325,000,000 deal, the largest in MLB history.
The Yankees will have to pay a good portion of this contract, which will lock Stanton up until he is 38, and considering the history of the MLB, it will be very unlikely that Stanton will be worth the money at that age.
However, the immediate future is very bright for the Yankees. With Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Gary Sanchez all in the lineup for many years to come, the Yankees will be nightmare for many pitchers.
New York was just one win away from reaching the World Series in 2017, and they just got significantly better.
But the scariest part is, with all of their top prospects still intact, the Yankees have a lot of other trade options, and can get even better than they already are.