Slugger Giancarlo Stanton and ace Jose Fernandez were teammates with the Marlins from 2013 up until Sept. 25, 2016, when Fernandez tragically died in a boating accident along the coast of Miami Beach. Stanton, of course, wound up being traded to the Yankees this past December. 

Speaking of which, Stanton on Sunday night was in New York to accept the 2017 NL MVP Award at the annual New York Baseball Writers' Dinner ... 

As it turns out, Fernandez was very much on Stanton's mind as he gave his acceptance speech ... 

To summarize, Stanton says that at the 2016 All-Star Game in San Diego, Fernandez told him they'd both be starting the 2017 All-Star Game in Miami, that Stanton would hit 60 home runs in 2017, that Stanton would win the NL MVP Award in 2017, and that if things didn't work in Miami they'd both wind up on the Yankees after Fernandez signed with them as a free agent. 

While Stanton last season wound up one homer shy of 60, he did indeed claim top honors in the NL MVP balloting. And he's also now, of course, a Yankee. As for Fernandez, he would've been a free agent following the 2019 season at the age of 27, and he probably wouldn't have stayed in Miami ... 

Fernandez was a brilliant pitcher with a luminous personality. Suffice it to say, he would've made a lot of money on the market, and the Yankees surely would've been among his suitors. Now we're forced to contemplate a very cruel "what if."