Sometimes it's fun to look back and see what could have been. That was something ESPN recently did in a column featuring current and former executives sharing inside stories about what it's like working in the front office. One portion of the column revealed that former Boston Red Sox executive Jed Hoyer revealed the team nearly traded for star slugger Giancarlo Stanton well before he went to the New York Yankees.

In the column written by Jesse Rodgers of ESPN, Hoyer describes how the Red Sox had a disgruntled Manny Ramirez seeking a trade. A deal involving Giancarlo Stanton never came to fruition, but it sounds like Boston was in talks with the Miami Marlins to possibly land the 2017 NL MVP in what would have been a three-team trade.

“Manny was really disgruntled about his contract,” Hoyer said. “He had two club options with no buyouts. He was forcing his way out. We felt like we had to do the deal…It looked like it was never going to get done. It was a last-second three-team deal. That was the most confusing one because there were so many cooks in the kitchen. At one point, the Marlins were involved with a young [Giancarlo] Stanton.”

Instead, the Red Sox ended up making a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates before the deadline that season. Boston acquired outfielder Jason Bay while sending Rameriez to L.A. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh was given four prospects in the deal. Giancarlo Stanton remained with the Marlins until he was eventually traded to the Yankees after the 2017 season.

And that is where Stanton remains today. New York is currently tied for second place in the AL East, while Boston is in fourth. Giancarlo Stanton just recently came back from injury after dealing with tendinitis in both elbows. Through 54 at-bats so far this season, Stanton owns a .222 batting average and .323 OBP while recording 12 hits, one home run, and seven RBIs.