Giancarlo Stanton rips Miami Marlins for 'unprofessional, circus times'

Dec. 11 (UPI) -- National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton was officially announced as a member of the New York Yankees on Monday.

And he had some final words for the Miami Marlins.

Stanton spent eight seasons with the Marlins. The four-time All-Star was traded for second baseman Starlin Castro and two prospects. He made an Instagram post about the move Monday.

It featured some parting shots.

"Thank you to the Marlins Organization & the amazing city of Miami! The city that adopted me at 17 with open arms," Stanton wrote. "I've loved this place over the years and it will always be special to me. I appreciate All my teammates & coaching Staff that battled day in and day out I feel for u fans, you've stuck with me as we've shared some roller coaster years."

"I've always tried to be as professional as possible during the unprofessional, circus times there! Regardless of the Ups & downs, I've grown n learned a lot as a Person/Player. So for that I give thanks, I hope there are better days in Miami . The city & the people are too great not to be! Stay positive & much love!...As for NEW YORK CITY!!! I am officially a YANKEE. I can't wait to spark this new chapter in my life, & keeping it Lit."

Stanton was asked about the move at his introductory press conference at the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando.

"I would say to hang in there," Stanton said, referring to Marlins fans. "They're hurting. They are going to go through some more tough years. But I would advise them not to give up. Keep hope. Maybe watch from afar if you are going to watch, but those guys battle, too. The guys that are out there are good kids."

Stanton signed a 13-year, $324 million contract with the Marlins in 2014. He used the words "spiral out of place" when describing his departure from Miami.

He also spoke Monday about new Marlins owner Derek Jeter.

"We had a meeting, we spoke about the direction of the team," Stanton told reporters. "I wanted us to go forward and advance with the pitching staff. I thought our lineup was legit and we needed help with our pitchers and we needed to add rather than subtract."

"The way they wanted to go was to subtract," Stanton said. "So I let that be known, I didn't want to be a part of another rebuild, another losing season. And that's almost a guaranteed losing season, taking away what I thought was a great lineup. So yes, I didn't want to be part of a rebuild."

Stanton said that he gave a list of teams to the Marlins, prior to the meeting. The franchise still negotiated deals with the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals. Stanton said "those weren't his teams."

He was asked to elaborate on the Instagram post at the press conference.

"You guys in the media have seen how it goes down there," Stanton said. "What I mainly meant was no structure. No stamp of this is how things are going to be. It's a different direction every spring training. You've got to learn something new every spring...a different manager every spring, every middle of the season. That's mainly what I meant."

Stanton said he is willing to rotate with Aaron Judge to make the Yankees "the best."