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Yankees' Stanton acquisition parallels A-Rod trade in more ways than one

Jim McIsaac / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Evil Empire is officially back.

As the New York Yankees close in on officially acquiring Giancarlo Stanton, the reigning National League Most Valuable Player, from the Miami Marlins a sense of deja vu has descended upon the league. The proposed deal is very similar to the trade that sent Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees in 2004.

A tale of two MVPs

Acquiring Stanton is a massive move for a franchise that had seemingly shifted away from such stirring transactions, but it's too much a part of the Yankees' historical DNA. In 2004, the Yankees sent second baseman Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named later (Joaquin Arias) to the Rangers for Rodriguez. Like Stanton, Rodriguez was coming off his first MVP season.

Name (Year) R HR RBI AVG/OBP/SLG
Stanton (2017) 123 59 132 .281/.376/.631
Rodriguez (2003) 124 47 118 .298/.396/.600

The numbers during their respective MVP years are closely aligned. Both hit for plus power while driving in a boatload of runs, and both played on losing teams, with the Marlins finishing with a 77-85 record in second place in the NL East, while the 2003 Rangers went 71-91, finishing in fourth in the AL West.

Stanton's trade marks only the third time in MLB history that a reigning MVP has been traded the ensuing offseason, and twice the Yankees have been on the receiving end.

At the time of the Rangers deal, A-Rod was inked to the largest contract in baseball history. He signed a 10-year, $252 million deal prior to the 2001 season. Later, he eclipsed that with a 10-year, $275 million contract that re-worked the final years of the original deal. The Marlins outdid them all, agreeing to pay Stanton $325 million over 13 years - A-Rod still earned more per year, however.

Stanton is still building his resume; A-Rod had already arrived

The parallels between Stanton and A-Rod don't end with the timing of their trade coinciding with their MVP-winning campaigns. A-Rod was a part-time player as an 18- and 19-year-old with the Seattle Mariners before playing 146 games in 1996 at the age of 20. He made his first All-Star appearance, and finished second in MVP voting by hitting .358/.414/.631 with 36 home runs, 123 RBIs, 15 stolen bases, 141 runs scored, and a whopping 54 doubles (a career-high).

Stanton debuted at 20, and quickly showcased his power. He hit .259/.326/.507 with 22 homers over 100 games. Coincidentally, both players wound up winning their first MVP awards in their age-27 seasons before being promptly traded to the Bronx.

Ignoring the cup of coffee A-Rod saw in his first couple years on the cusp of big-league stardom, here's how their overall lines compared in the ensuing eight seasons:

Name GP R HR RBI AVG/OBP/SLG
Stanton 986 576 267 672 .268/.360/.554
Rodriguez 1210 990 340 969 .311/.387/.590

Stanton has struggled to stay healthy, playing more than 140 games in a single season only three times. Meanwhile, A-Rod played at least 140 games seven times, while reaching the 160-game plateau on four occasions, twice playing every regular season game.

All for an All-Star second baseman

Just like the similarities between Stanton and A-Rod, and their respective ages at the time of the trade, the centerpieces going the other way just happen to be All-Star second-basemen entering their age-28 seasons.

The Yankees sent Alfonso Soriano to the Rangers in 2004, and they're shipping Starlin Castro to the Marlins for Stanton. Both players carved out solid careers for themselves while donning Yankee pinstripes, though Castro had already constructed a solid chunk of a career with the Chicago Cubs before being traded to the Yankees.

The other major difference is Soriano was a major power hitter who possessed incredible speed. In his final two seasons with the Yankees he hit 39 and 38 home runs, respectively, while stealing 41 and 35 bases. Later, as a member of the Washington Nationals, he became the fourth - and most recent - player to hit 40 home runs in a season while also stealing 40 bases. He joined Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, and the player he was once traded for: Alex Rodriguez.

Castro hasn't consistently stolen bases since 2012, but he has added a little extra pop in his bat in recent seasons.

Longevity in New York City

A-Rod wound up playing 12 seasons in 13 years for the Yankees, retiring after his age-40 season in 2016. He hit an additional 351 home runs, and won two more MVPs after the trade. He had perhaps the best season of his career in 2007, when he tallied a 1.067 OPS while cracking 54 home runs with 156 RBIs and 143 runs scored, tops in MLB that season.

Stanton, barring a surprise opt-out after 2020, could easily follow suit. He's under contract through 2027 with a team option for 2028 when he will be 38 years old. Once upon a time, A-Rod was most heavily associated with the Mariners, and for a time seeing Stanton in his Yankees digs will look fairly bizarre (though, those pinstripes will pop).

Eventually, the Marlins will be a distant memory in Stanton's history. And like A-Rod before him, he could easily hoist multiple MVP trophies while cruising toward World Series dominance. The most comparable detail between the two trades is that it will inspire the constant fear and loathing of every other fan-base in the game for years to come.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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