Power play becomes official

Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Now slugging for the Bronx Bombers, Giancarlo Stanton.

Stanton's trade to the New York Yankees from Miami was finalized Monday, a deal that sent second baseman Starlin Castro and two minor leaguers to the Marlins for the NL MVP.

"They're winners," Stanton said during a news conference on the opening day of the winter meetings. "They're young and they're in a good position to win for a long time, and I lost for a long time. So I want to change that dynamic and be a winner."

He joins a team that reached Game 7 of the AL Championship Series against Houston with a young roster that includes young sluggers Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird. The Yankees expect top infield prospect Gleyber Torres to join the big league team next season.

"New York's a marquee town, and I think it's important to have some marquee players," Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said. "But more important than that, I think it's important to have veteran players that could be mentors for the young kids."

Stanton, a 28-year-old who like Judge plays right field, is owed $295 million over the final decade of his record $325 million, 13-year contract. The Marlins, with former Yankees star Derek Jeter as their new CEO, will send $30 million to the Yankees if Stanton doesn't exercise his right to opt out of the deal and become a free agent after the 2020 season: $5 million each on July 1 and Oct. 1 in 2026, 2027 and 2028. Under a change in baseball's new labor contract, that money will be prorated for the luxury tax and Stanton will count as $22 million annually.

Jeter says when his ownership group took over the Marlins in October, he thought Stanton would be with the team in 2018.

In the end, the trade was made because Stanton didn't want to be part of the Marlins' latest rebuilding, Jeter said Monday. Jeter said the deal with his former team was the best one available to the Marlins, giving them much-needed financial flexibility and upgrading a weak farm system. Jeter wants to reduce his revenue-starved franchise's payroll by at least 20 percent to $90 million or less, and Stanton will make $25 million next year.

Stanton led the majors with 59 home runs and 132 RBIs last season. Judge was second in the majors with 52 homers, New York topped baseball with 241 home runs last season, and the daunting duo figures to create must-see BP before games. Stanton will keep his No. 27 jersey.

His contract includes a no-trade provision, and last week he turned down prospective deals to St. Louis and San Francisco. He told the Marlins he was willing to accept trades only to the Yankees, his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers, the Astros and Chicago Cubs.

Having grown up in Southern California, going to the Giants was a particular difficultly.

"I wouldn't base a decision off that, but also I wouldn't want to go to a team that they disliked the most — and wasn't sure if they were going to beat that team, either," he said.

New York hasn't had a losing record since 1992. The Marlins haven't had a winning season since Stanton made his big league debut for them in 2010.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spoke briefly with Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill about Stanton at last month's GM meetings but didn't move forward, wanting to save designated hitter at-bats in case New York reached agreement with Japanese pitcher/outfielder Shohei Ohtani. But Ohtani eliminated all East Coast teams.

"I felt maybe Wednesday of last week I thought it was not going to happen," Cashman said. "And then he re-engaged me Thursday,"

By Thursday night, a tentative agreement was in place. Stanton said he would approve, but his agent, Joel Wolfe, told him to sleep on it.

"I told him I'm sleeping in, so if there's some deadline just go ahead and say yeah," Stanton said with a smile.