Yankees set to land MVP Stanton from Marlins

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After helping the New York Yankees to five World Series titles, Derek Jeter might help them win another.

The Yankees and Jeter's Miami Marlins have agreed to a trade that would send National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton to New York, pending a physical, a person familiar with the negotiations said on Saturday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams hadn't announced the agreement.

Second baseman Starlin Castro would go to Miami as part of the trade, a second person familiar with the negotiations said. A third person said the Marlins would also receive prospects Jorge Guzman, a right-hander, and Jose Devers, an infielder who is a cousin of Boston prospect Rafael Devers.

The third person said the deal calls for the Marlins to send US$30 million to the Yankees if Stanton doesn't exercise his right to opt out of his contract and become a free agent after the 2020 season.

Stanton has a no-trade clause in his record US$325-million, 13-year contract and has indicated he will approve the trade, one of the people said. St Louis and San Francisco said on Friday that Stanton had vetoed deals to them.

As for the physical, injuries curtailed Stanton's season in four of the past six years, but he played a career-high 159 games in 2017 and led the majors with 59 homers and 132 RBIs.

If the Yankees complete the trade with Jeter, their former captain and the new Marlins CEO, the Bronx Bombers would pair Stanton with Aaron Judge, who led the American League with 52 in his rookie season. That would give them a one-two punch to rival Ruth-Gehrig or Mantle-Maris, making for must-see batting practice.

Judge sent a tweet to Stanton showing a clip from the movie "Step Brothers" with Will Ferrell saying, "Did we just become best friends?"

Obtaining the 28-year-old Stanton would be reminiscent of the Yankees' acquisition of AL MVP Alex Rodriguez from Texas after the 2003 season for second baseman Alfonso Soriano. Rodriguez signed a US$275-million, 10-year contract after the 2007 season that ran through age 42; Stanton's deal runs through age 38.

An eight-year veteran with 267 home runs, Stanton has never played on a winning team and might now go to a club that hasn't had a losing record since 1992. The Yankees reached Game 7 of the AL Championship Series this season in the first full year of a youth movement.

New Yankees manager Aaron Boone, along with the front office, would have to sort where Stanton will play. He has played his whole big league career in right field, as has Judge. The Yankees also have the option of using one of them as a designated hitter.

Stanton is owed US$295 million over the final decade of his record contract. The All-Star right fielder led the majors in homers and RBIs, but his salary will rise to US$25 million in 2018.

Reduce payroll

Jeter is expected to reduce payroll by at least 20 percent to US$90 million or less. The Marlins shed US$38 million of salary through 2020 by trading two-time All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday for three prospects.

Castro, who hit .300 with 16 home runs this year, could replace Gordon at second base — or might also be dealt by Miami because of his contract. He's due US$10 million in 2018 and US$11 million in 2019 plus a US$16 million club option for 2020 with a US$1-million buyout.

Gary Denbo, the Marlins new vice president of scouting and player development, spent the past eight years with New York and oversaw a farm system that ranks among the best in baseball. Guzman went 5-3 this year with a 2.30 ERA for Class A Staten Island. Devers, who just turned 18, batted .245 with 16 steals in 53 games for two teams in the low minors.

More Marlins deals are possible at the winter meetings beginning on Sunday in Lake Buena Vista; Castro and outfielders Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna possibly are on the trading block.

The Yankees' payroll for purposes of baseball's luxury tax was about US$209 million this year, and owner Hal Steinbrenner has vowed to reduce it below next year's US$197 million threshold, which would reset the team's base tax rate from 50 percent to 20 percent in 2019. That would put the Yankees in better position for next offseason's free agent class, which includes Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and possibly Clayton Kershaw.

Stanton counts as US$25 million for the luxury tax, but trading Castro cuts New York's tax payroll by US$8,801,786. Rodriguez (US$27.5 million) comes off the payroll after this year, and five high-priced Yankees have become free agents: CC Sabathia (US$20 million), Matt Holliday (US$13 million), Michael Pineda (US$7.4 million), Todd Frazier (US$4,918,033) and Jaime Garcia (US$4,961,721).

New York could trade third baseman Chase Headley (US$13 million), expendable because of prospects Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar. Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who counts as US$21,857,143, appears to be superfluous in an outfield that includes Stanton, Judge, Aaron Hicks and Brett Gardner. Ellsbury is owed US$21,142, 857 in each of the next three years as part of a deal that includes a US$21-million team option for 2021 with a US$1-million buyout.

After missing out on Japanese right-hander Shohei Ohtani, the Yankees are expected to seek starting pitching to bolster a rotation currently projected to include Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, Sonny Gray, Jordan Montgomery and Luis Cessa.

Stanton would take a cut in take-home pay for his games in the Bronx. While Florida has no state income tax, New York State has an 8.82 percent top rate on income and New York City a 3.876 percent top rate. But he might make up the difference in new endorsements.