LAS VEGAS — Joel Wolfe described a calendar year of upheaval and injury that his client, Giancarlo Stanton, endured and predicts, with both in the background now, that the Yankees and their fans will “mentally and physically see another guy because he is comfortable and because [being a Yankee] means so much to him.”
Wolfe detailed a turbulent period that was filled with rumors of the Marlins being sold and Stanton winning the NL MVP as he mostly steered away from media interaction because he did not want to constantly discuss his personal future.
“Literally a day after the season, [team president David] Samson told us they were going to sell the team and [Stanton] was going to be traded,” Stanton’s agent said.
Stanton and Wolfe formulated a list of teams for which the slugger would waive his no-trade rights. They rejected deals presented by Miami to St. Louis and San Francisco, and — projecting who they thought could win now and had a winning culture to keep winning in the future — informed the Marlins they would only consider the Yankees, Astros, Cubs and Dodgers.
A deal to the Yankees was finalized last Dec. 11, and Stanton produced a roller-coaster season of streaks in which he finished with 38 homers, 100 RBIs and a 19th-place MVP finish, but lacked consistent excellence and played through leg injuries over the past few weeks of the season.
“He now knows what to expect in New York,” Wolfe said. “It is no longer a figment of his imagination. That is now his team. For the first half of last season, I know that home games felt like road games. It is such a heady experience to be a Yankee.”
Wolfe said Stanton came to not only love his teammates, but after a career with the Marlins, appreciated how well the Yankees take care of players with support staff and equipment.
“His physical status is outstanding,” Wolfe said. “He is just in a great place right now.”
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