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Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Matt Linder Well, that was a quick rebuild!  The Yankees have agreed to a trade with the Marlins that sends Giancarlo Stanton to New York in exchange for Starlin Castro and two prospects.  The Yankees will also receive $30M if Stanton does not opt out of his contract after the 2020 season.  The deal has yet to be formerly announced by either team, but the only thing that could hold it up is a failed physical.  Let’s break down: how and why the trade happened, the players the Yankees gave up, the deal’s impact on the current roster and the team’s mission to get under the luxury tax threshold. The Marlins new ownership group, led by Derek Jeter, made it clear that their goal was to cut payroll in order to get the franchise’s finances under control.  Trading away the team’s most expensive player was the easiest and quickest way to accomplish that objective.  Back in 2014, Stanton signed a 13 year deal worth $325M w...

thecomeback.com Matt Linder After taking a look back at the 2017 Yankees starting rotation, let’s recap how the infielders and catchers performed this season.  There were injuries, trades, position changes and devastatingly long slumps all combined with a career year and signs of promise.  To open up the season, the infield was not at full strength.  Both Didi Gregorius and Greg Bird began the season on the DL and Gary Sanchez got hurt in early April. Although Gregorius was not the Yankees opening day shortstop, by season’s end he was the team’s best infielder, both offensively and defensively.  Gregorius missed the first month of the season because of a shoulder injury he suffered in the World Baseball Classic.  However, once he returned to the lineup, he made an immediate impact.  Didi finished the season with career highs in home runs (25), RBIs (87) and OPS (.796).  Those 25 big flies ranked second for MLB shortstops and his 3.0 WAR ...