MLB Roundup 12/9: Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees is almost done

Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees seems like a done deal

So, I wake up around 4:00 AM most mornings for work, which is always a good time. It’s even better when you wake up, log on to Twitter and see Joel Sherman reporting that a deal that will send Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees is “virtually done.” He reports that the Marlins will get some good, but not top, prospects along with Starlin Castro. Life is real dumb sometimes. The Yankees now have the most fearsome middle of the lineup in baseball with Stanton joining a group that already includes Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez. To say this is bad news for the Red Sox is quite the understatement. The Yankees now have a fearsome lineup that will be together for years and also has prospects like Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier coming up for full-time roles. All of that being said, the Red Sox can’t overreact to this news and try to keep up with the Yankees at the plate. That’s just not going to happen. Yes, the Red Sox do need to add another bat to their lineup, but they can’t watch this happen then decide they need to overpay for multiple bats just to try to keep up with New York’s explosiveness. I’ll have more on this after the deal actually goes through, but that’s essentially where I stand right now.

Shohei Ohtani is going to the Angels

The last 24 hours have been mighty busy in the baseball world, which has been refreshing after the snooze-fest of an offseason it’s been of late. Before we heard about the Stanton rumors, we learned the final decision made by Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. After narrowing his list to seven teams, most presumed he was going to end up in Seattle. Instead, the pitcher/outfielder/designated hitter will be in Los Angeles to play for the Angels. It’s not quite clear exactly how they’ll use him just yet, but he will certainly hit and pitch since that was one of the things he was looking for in his new team. Whatever role he plays, this could be a franchise-altering move for the Angels who have kind of been stuck in place as a mediocre team with the best player in baseball. Mike Trout now has Ohtani along with a full season of Justin Upton around him and the Angels could be major players. Don’t be shocked to see them chase Yu Darvish or Jake Arrieta, too, and become full-fledged American League contenders.