New York Yankees: Did Derek Jeter give his old team an early Christmas present?

Did Derek Jeter let the New York Yankees off easily with the Giancarlo Stanton trade?

Nobody will ever question what Derek Jeter brought to the New York Yankees. He brought production on the field and grace off the field. Today’s athlete doesn’t often match the amount of class that Jeter showed through his entire career. There is a reason why he is one of the select few Yankees named as a captain. He deserved it and then some. To say he is a legend in pinstripes would be to put it mildly.

The question is, however, whether or not he is still gifting presents to his former organization.

According to published reports, Jeter has seen some fire already during his short time as Marlins owner/CEO. He terminated many long-term employees including one, according to the report, that was still in the hospital after cancer removal. Many were asked back but not told why they were let go in the first place.

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That seems to be only the beginning of some bad optics for the captain turned owner. We now have the trade for Stanton that some believe was a bit of a light return. Let’s talk about it.

In return for the slugger, the Marlins received Starlin Castro and two minor leaguers. They weren’t top minor leaguers, though they were talented ones. Andrew Marchand of ESPN writes that some executives didn’t approve of how the Marlins set up the trade but it’s coincidental that it appears as a gift to the Yankees.

No disrespect to Marchand but the argument does have more validity than that.

It is the truth that the player with the no-trade clause holds all of the cards in the situation. Jeter could not have forced him to go to just any team. If Giancarlo Stanton wanted to play for the Yankees, he was going to be traded to the Yankees.

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However, Jeter could have held the Yankees up for some more value. Maybe some higher level prospects. Giving them one player and prospects that are lower level gives the optics of a gift. It may have been the team he wanted to go to, but Jeter and his group could have dictated more of the ground work for the trade. He didn’t have to go for the first trade available.

I’m not going to use the term “collusion” or make the accusation. Even if it was, nobody will say a word. With Joe Torre in the league office, the whistle wouldn’t get blown.

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