Giancarlo Stanton vented his frustration with the Miami Marlins as he farewelled the MLB franchise for the New York Yankees. Reigning National League MVP and All-Star Stanton was all smiles at his introductory news conference on Monday.

The slugger praised the Yankees' "winning culture" as a reason he approved the blockbuster deal.  Stanton also thanked the Marlins, the city of Miami, team-mates, coaching staff and fans in an Instagram post earlier on Monday, but added, "I've always tried to be as professional as possible during the unprofessional, circus times there!"

The 28-year-old added that in his discussions with team officials, he shared his opinion that the line-up could be competitive, but management wanted to rebuild. "We spoke about the direction of the team,” Stanton said. "I wanted us to go forward and advance with the pitching staff.

"I thought our line-up was legit and we needed help with our pitchers, to add and not subtract. The way they wanted to go was subtract. It's almost a guaranteed losing season to take away from that line-up."

Stanton's final advice to Marlins fans: Be prepared for more losing, do not give up on the team, but "Maybe watch from afar if you're going to watch."