Entering this offseason, the Miami Marlins had a clear mission to trade away their core of MLB position players to expedite the rebuilding process. The difficult part was anticipating where exactly they would be traded to.
With Robinson Cano in the midst of a huge contract, the Seattle Mariners didn’t seem like a sensible landing spot for second baseman Dee Gordon. But their organization has optimism that the soon-to-be 30-year-old can still learn a few new tricks, such as playing center field on a full-time basis. Unless you’re one of those “Derek Jeter wants to help the Yankees win” conspiracy theorists, the Giancarlo Stanton blockbuster defied expectations, too.