Giancarlo Stanton being a Yankee is a six-year dream come true

I have never been the kind of baseball fan who was able to have a lot of affection for players who weren’t on my favorite team. Sure, I could easily appreciate how good Bryce Harper or Mike Trout were, but I just couldn’t really care that much. One exception for many years has been Giancarlo Stanton. For some reason, I needed him on my favorite team somehow.

For example: There was a rumor floated that there was interest in extending Stanton a few years before he ended up signing his mega-deal with the Miami Marlins. This was my reaction to the news in a comment here on Pinstripe Alley.

Ignore my signature. I was young and stupid then.

On December 9, 2011, I thought my dreams of getting Stanton in pinstripes were ruined. Almost exactly six years to the day later, he’s a Yankee. Dreams really do come true.

That kind of payoff after so long doesn’t feel like it happens very often in baseball. The players we covet on other teams don’t always end up falling right into our laps, especially now that the MLB landscape is one of long extensions and every team having plenty of money to throw around if they choose. Having this play out the way it has is incredibly satisfying.

So much has happened since Relatively Baby Tanya thought she had to give up on the idea of Stanton in pinstripes. My feelings toward most baseball-related things have undergone multiple shifts during that time. Still, when the rumors began flying that a trade might actually be possible, the excitement I felt was pretty unmatched. Having Stanton be a Yankee right now was the Christmas present I didn’t know I was allowed to ask for and got anyway.

I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about baseball starting up again. Waiting is definitely going to be the hardest part. I can’t believe this actually happened! For someone who has grown a bit disenchanted with the Yankees in recent years, acquiring all of the big baseball boys to hit dingers is a great place to start toward revitalizing my fandom. And it only took six years to get here.