New York Yankees star Giancarlo Stanton stole the show in his homecoming at Dodger Stadium in the 2022 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night, clubbing a game-tying two-run homer that eventually earned him MVP honors. Stanton wowed the Dodger Stadium faithful with his feat of strength. But what if that was something Los Angeles fans could enjoy watching every night?

It nearly was. 15 years ago, the Dodgers made a fateful mistake that they're likely regretting to this day. Kyle Glaser of Baseball America has the details:

In a cruel twist of irony, Stanton could have been a Dodger. Legendary Southern California area scout George Genovese scouted Stanton extensively at Notre Dame. He brought Stanton to Dodger Stadium for pre-draft workouts, where Stanton showed off his trademark power at a young age. Genovese pushed hard for the Dodgers to select Stanton in the 2007 draft, but the Dodgers passed up on him twice. Instead, they drafted pitchers Chris Withrow and James Adkins.

That's right, Giancarlo Stanton nearly ended up on the Dodgers. Longtime Los Angeles scout George Genovese scouted the Yankees slugger while he attended Notre Dame high school and had nothing but good things to say about him.

A Panorama City, California native, and Dodgers fan growing up, Stanton came oh-so-close to playing for the club. Genovese advocated for the Yankees star ahead of the 2007 MLB Draft. But it was not to be.

The Dodgers selected pitchers Chris Withrow and James Adkins instead, and the rest is history. While Los Angeles later showed interest in Stanton when he hit the trade market in the 2017 offseason, though he was eventually traded to the Yankees from the Marlins.

It wasn't meant to be, however, it's still fun for Dodgers fans to imagine Giancarlo Stanton in an already loaded lineup.