Yeah it's hard for me to fault their ownership group. This group isn't going to get it done, the best they can hope for is liquidation at this point, so that's what you do. The Stanton negotiations were mismanaged to a degree - but you're shopping $300 million and an asset that the buyer just doesn't have a ton of control over long-term. I'm not saying this will happen to Stanton, but how many high dollar acquisitions in their prime DO end up going south over 3-4 years? Plenty, in fact.
And your best case scenario is he plays well and then opts out after year 4 - and then you're out your superstar. If he doesn't, you owe him $265 million. I think that's what most people are just flat-out missing about this trade. The Yankees got a fantastic player. Absolutely fantastic. For now. But his contract makes him an enormous risk over the long run. Any contract with that amount of money attached to it is a risk. Period.
And then there's what you're trying to do long-term. The Marlins need to field a not entirely embarrassing team, focus on buy low/sell high flip pieces and pillow contracts and where they can - add a little continuity in premium positions so they don't end up wasting resources needlessly and they can bank as much cash as possible for when they need it - if they don't already need it to offset up front losses.
IMO - in baseball, unless you're in an enormous market, total rip-it-to-the-studs rebuilds are the only way to go. Yes, the Marlins probably could have done better given the circumstances - but it's really unclear what 'better' would have been. The Red Sox have some dead money and a lot of young guys to worry about locking up. And no prospect depth to boot. So they're out. The Cubs would probably rather take a run at Harper; but more importantly have some enormous pieces they need to think about long term. So they're really out unless you take some very specific bad contracts back on yourself. So there isn't much of a fit, there. The Dodgers are just completely loaded up with contracts, so forget a big deal there and the Giants aren't there to compete and Stanton didn't want to go there. Ditto St. Louis. SO I mean - how much dangling can you do?
I AM a little surprised the Astros didn't kick tires - they're contenders, Stanton fits, they can afford him AND even have the long term money to absorb the risk. I do wonder if they could have gotten something A LITTLE bit better.
But again - their hands were tied. That's why I have a hard time pig piling Jeter outside of the obvious bad looks of not being at the Winter Meetings, being a little too public in the behind the scenes stuff and perhaps benefitting from a little more patience.... outside of that - that's what they were going to get in return.