Giancarlo Stanton laid down the law to Derek Jeter to force trade to Yankees
Giancarlo Stanton might be a 6-foot-6, 245 pound behemoth capable of blasting 50 home runs in a single season, but he has at least one thing in common with the average baseball fan: He also grew tired of the Miami Marlins’ team-building strategies.
Some of that was exposed this offseason, when stories emerged focusing on Stanton’s frustrations with the organization. The Marlins attempted to deal Stanton to either the St. Louis Cardinals or the San Francisco Giants, only to have Stanton enact his no-trade clause to sink those deals.
In order to try and clear the air, Stanton met with the team’s new ownership group, led by Derek Jeter, before he was traded. But when Jeter told Stanton he had to accept a trade to those teams or be the only draw on a drastically stripped down Marlins roster, Stanton decided to lay down the law to Jeter and general manager Michael Hill, according to Ben Reiter of Sports Illustrated.
“This is not going to go how you guys think it will go,” Stanton said. “I’m not going to be forced somewhere, on a deadline, just because it’s convenient for you guys. I’ve put up with enough here. Derek, I know you don’t fully understand where I’m coming from. But Mike does. He’s been here. He can fill you in. This may not go exactly how I planned. But it’s definitely not going to go how you have planned.”
It’s possible those weren’t the exact words used by Stanton, since he’s recounting them to Reiter after the fact. Still, you can imagine things got pretty heated during his conversation with Jeter and Hill.
After reading that passage, it’s also easy to figure out why the Marlins changed course and finally involved the New York Yankees in trade talks. Sure, they had limited leverage in the first place, but seeing a furious Stanton may have played into it. He doesn’t seem like a guy you want to make angry.
It’s also important to note that Stanton’s exchange only happened after he asked Jeter to try and build around the Marlins’ young players. Stanton wanted to win in Miami and thought the team could contend with a few extra pieces.
Jeter didn’t see it that way, and now Stanton is a member of the Yankees.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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