Giancarlo Stanton was, far and away, the most valuable Marlins player in 2017. Even those outside South Florida recognized his dominance en route to the National League MVP award.
However, Christian Yelich was, far and away, the team’s best trade asset last offseason. Young, controllable and widely believed to have an “extra gear” to take him from very good to elite. The Brewers bet on Yelich taking that step—the four-prospect package they moved to get him had plenty of quality and quantity, making a big dent in their strong farm system.