11:20pm: The opt-out clause being negotiated is expected to become effective after the 2019 season, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. That would essentially make the deal a five-year pact that provides Stanton an eight-year player option, which would be a unique arrangement. Most recently agreed-upon opt-out clauses can be exercised after the bulk of the contract has already been performed.
2:42pm: The Marlins and Stanton are close to agreeing to terms on a 13-year, $325MM contract that is expected to contain a no-trade clause and an opt-out clause, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
9:36am: Heyman reports that the two sides are very serious about getting a deal done, suggesting that it could end up being for a whopping 13 years. The two sides are said to be on the same page regarding money, Heyman writes, but one or two non-monetary issues still need to be worked out — perhaps a no-trade clause and/or an opt-out clause. One source characterized the negotiations as being on the 10-yard line.
As Heyman notes, the Marlins feel an increased need to lock up Stanton due to the fact that they have become discouraged about their ability to sign right-hander Jose Fernandez to a long-term deal of his own.
8:40am: ESPN’s Buster Olney hears that one possibility that has been discussed is a 12-year, $325MM contract (ESPN Insider required and recommended). Olney also wonders how the frightening, season-ending injury to Stanton has affected his perspective and influenced his willingness to accept a deal like this. As Olney notes, Stanton acknowledged after the injury that had the fastball which struck his face hit him just millimeters in a different direction, his injury could have been career-threatening.
FRIDAY, 7:39am: Stanton and the Marlins have been discussing an extension in the 12-year, $320MM range, tweets Rosenthal.
Stanton could earn something in the $35MM range for his final two years of arbitration, even without the extension,  so it seems that his free agent years are being valued under $30MM per season if those exact numbers hold.
THURSDAY, 5:14pm: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports hears that the $300MM+ deal being discussed could span as long as 12 years (Twitter link). That deal would run through Stanton’s age-36 season.
4:23pm: The Marlins and superstar right fielder Giancarlo Stanton are discussing a record-breaking $300MM contract extension that would span “at least” 10 seasons, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
The two sides have also discussed shorter contracts, according to Rosenthal’s sources, but it’s not surprising to see Stanton’s agent, Joel Wolfe of the Wasserman Media Group, eyeing a record-setting figure. Stanton, who somewhat incredibly just turned 25 years old last week, is under team control through the 2016 season as things currently stand and is projected to earn $13MM in arbitration next year.
While there will be plenty of cynics that point to the Marlins’ history of fire sales, Miami GM Dan Jennings indicated earlier this week that the Fish would potentially be open to breaking club policy and including a no-trade clause if it meant locking up the game’s premier power hitter.
A $300MM commitment would set the record for the largest contract in Major League history. Currently, Miguel Cabrera is owed $292MM over the life of his contract, although that was actually a $248MM extension on top of two guaranteed contract seasons. In terms of the most amount of “new money” ever guaranteed on a contract, Alex Rodriguez’s 10-year, $275MM contract is still setting the bar. Other examples of $200MM+ contracts include 10-year, $240MM contracts to both Albert Pujols and Robinson Cano, a 10-year, $225MM extension for Joey Votto and a nine-year, $214MM pact for Prince Fielder serve as other examples of $200MM+ deals for hitters. (Clayton Kershaw signed a seven-year, $215MM extension with the Dodgers last offseason as well.)
Though the number is staggering, one thing separating Stanton from other $200MM+ deals for hitters is that a 10-year contract would cover a large portion of his prime and not much of his decline phase. Stanton would be 34 years old at the end of a 10-year pact, while players such as Rodriguez, Cabrera and Votto will be approaching or will have surpassed their 40th birthdays.
Stanton led the National League with 37 homers this season and is a lifetime .271/.364/.540 hitter with 154 homers in 634 games. His best season at the plate came this past year, when he batted .288/.395/.555 in 145 games before being struck in the face by a fastball — a frightening injury that ultimately cost him the remainder of the season. He’s one of the finalists for the NL MVP Award this season, though he’ll have to contend with Kershaw and Andrew McCutchen.
Speechless.
That’s a lot of money…
It’s almost one third of a billion dollars…
With endorsements and stuff this guy is going to make over a half of a billion dollars by time he retires lol.
He better ask for that no trade clause 🙂
Who would take on that contract? It is a de facto no-trade clause.
In 2 years when the Marlins fire sale again? Both LA teams, both NY teams, probably the Cubs and Red Sox, too.
They will have to have a fire sale because they won’t be able to pay anyone else.
MLB teams generate a lot more than 30MM dollars a year in revenue, even the Marlins.
They also have more than one player to pay. And as we all know, if you want to compete you need to be able to offer competitive contracts to those other players. Look, I like Stanton too, and at least if the contract is long then the AAV will be workable. But, as a Yankee fan, I know exactly what having huge contracts on the payroll can do to your flexibility. And everyone is sure when these contracts happen that they will be signing the guy who will be worth it: Jeter’s first contract, Pujols first.. and not like A-Rod, Teixeira, and Pujols’ second one.
It’s gotta be at least 10 years. 10/300, 12/300 are reasonable deals, more than 12 years is a steal for Miami if it’s only 300 MM still.
Ah, yes, 12 years is much more palatable. I think I just had $300MM sticker shock. I literally gasped when I saw the headline earlier.
I would rather take 250 on a better team than this potential deal.
Please tell me who else the Marlins have to pay, and I’ll tell you who they have to trade.
He’s 25, as a Yankees fan myself, if we had him for 10/300m tomorrow, I’d throw a party.
they also barely spend more than the revenue sharing every season.they have the money
The Marlins have about $150 million or LESS in revenue. It wont increase until 2021 at the earliest. That means they cant have a payroll over $75 million unless Loria is willing to lose money and he has never shown he is willing to lose even one dollar. Hill and jennings have said they are going to INCREASE payroll to $60 million and IF they have to pay him the $13-14 million he is set to earn in arbitration this offseason, he will be making 22% of their total payroll and NO TEAM has ever made the playoffs with one player making more than 20% of payroll . Think about that. Thats if they pay him just $13 million. What happens at the $30 million it would be the last 8-10 years of a 12 year deal?? A whole bunch of guys at league minimum and Stanton. Why would Stanton even consider that when he can get the same money or MORE from a team that will actually win in a max of 2 years? This is nothing but a PR move.
Where are you getting that 150 MM figure? I’ve seen 190 MM. Also, if he really only has 150 MM then Loria took a massive loss in 2012 and that debunks your theory Loria isn’t even willing to lose ONE dollar. I also like how you’re still going on about that 20% figure when it’s wholly untrue. I showed you that just a few days ago that teams have. Recently, as in past few years? Sure, nobody has, but that is not true long-term. The Marlins have the capacity to pay Stanton and still contend, whether you want to believe it. The Marlins can win soon.
I guess they are too long, so you will have to figure it out yourself.
I cant mention sources so you will have to figure them out on your own. Here are the facts. Marlins – $16 million Tv contract through 2021. Estimated $64 million between National TV revenue & Revenue Sharing. Marlins had 21,386 fans per game at $27.01 average ticket price including luxury suites in 2014 so thats less than $45mm. $10mm in other revenue + concessions of $10-12mm. $150-159mm revenue is generous. In 2012 they started season with $11 mm payroll, ended with $89mm payroll, then traded 6 more guys. They started 2013 with a $36mm payroll. Do the math. No losses for Loria. Take up the no playoffs with 1 guy over 20% of payroll with …. They said it again today on air. So no, they dont have the ability to pay him $325 MM at all and its not possible to pay one guy 35% of payroll or more and contend.
This is not true. Most of the earnings in sports franchises are made in the value of the franchise when it is sold. I did a complete financial analysis for a class evaluating multiple sports franchises and you would be shocked but some of them operate at a loss, most break even and a few make $10-$30 million range but not much more than that. A team like the Marlins has been “making money” by exploiting the MLB revenue sharing and keeping a very low payroll.
Every team receives +$25MM alone for the next seven years because of the new TV contract. Stanton essentially is “costing” $5MM per year.
Excellent point
Like they pay anyone else to begin with?
the Mets, yeah right say money, and the wilpons run
The usual suspects Yankees…. Dodgers…. Red Sox….
Not gonna happen
lots of teams would
in a few years that contract will be a bargain
Inflation exists so that contract will be the norm for elite free agents in the future
If Stanton performs? A lot of teams would. 30 MM AAV is superstar money now.
Dodgers, Angels, Rangers, Mariners, Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Phillies, Nationals, Cubs could probably all afford it, minimum. 13/351 is 27 MM AAV, which actually isn’t insane for most of those ballclubs to absorb, luxury tax-wise or otherwise, and I also doubt he hits 350 MM on this contract.
Yankees would gladly take that contract on. In 3 years, 28 years old, 10/275 would be nice.
Marlins have a policy of never putting in no trade clauses. They actually bid more dollars for Albert Pujols than the Angels did before the 2012 season but he went with LAA because the Marlins woudln’t give him a NTC.
They’re not getting a deal done with Stanton without some form of NTC protection involved. Every team breaks policy for special cases. Stanton is a special case.
They are giving him that clause
not happening.
Wow. With a team option, I would think.
well rich man now 🙂
Since when did the Marlins have money?
Since always. Loria is finally not shy to use it.
Miami isn’t a particularly small market. And think their TV deal is up in the next few years.
agreed
You dont remember the 2011 postseason? Marlins spent like crazy.
They got all they need. They’ve just rarely been willing to spend it. The Marlins aren’t a small-market team, they’re just cheap. They and the Astros have been pulling a snow job for years when it comes to their payroll. But the Marlins are contenders now if they spend some money and keep their players, so they have absolutely no excuse for continuing to be a bad team.
Not even worth it…
He’s an elite talent who a ten year deal for might not even take him into a serious decline phase. 10 years starting now takes him through his age-34 campaign. 30 MM AAV has now been already achieved three times – by Kershaw on his extension, the FA parts of Trout’s extension, and Cabrera’s extension. 30 MM AAV is going to become the norm for superstars going forward. Verlander got 28 MM AAV and Felix got 27.5 MM AAV, as did A-Rod seven years ago.
Elite? He is above avg offense and avg+ defense. When is a .271 BA Elite?
When it comes with right handed power (a rarity in the MLB these days) that produces 30+ homers a year consistently. This is also a guy who (according to the normal MLB aging curve) hasn’t even hit what should be the prime of his career, so in theory, Stanton could take even a step up from where he is now. If he can become a .300 hitter with that level of power, he could hit anywhere from 30-50 dingers a year.
Agreed with the rare RHB power, but now your saying “if” as in “if he can become a .300 hitter. There is a BIG step from .271 to .300 and usually means a decline in power to focus more on just getting the ball in play. The players that do both are of course very rare and therefore… Elite. Like Trout or lock HOF like Pujols. That is why they are Elite. A guy who hits .271 with 30hr and 80 RBI is a very good player, but not Elite.
Batting average and RBI? Really?
huh?
Those are not the most useful statistics to determine whether someone is “elite.”
Understood, but they are the first line. If they are not Elite then none of the other stats can be either. Look at any stat you want. OBP? He is .364 lite time. Elite is .400+. What stats do you want to look at? Name them. He is not Elite. We need to reserve Elite for the rare incredible players who are truly Elite. Stanton is very good but not Elite.
Well then, it seems you are applying your own subjective analysis as to what qualifies as elite. Perhaps I and others have a different definition.
His stats are all trending upward, with the exception of an injury limited 2013. He hit 37 home runs in 145 games this past year before he was hit in the face by a pitch, ending his season. In the current hitting environment, that number is impressive. The guy OPS+’d 160 and provided a WAR of 6.5 in 2014.
Oh, and he just turned 25 a few days ago.
I’d say that’s pretty darned elite. Now whether he’s worth the contract figures being bandied about is a separate matter.
****Edited to add: Those 37 homers led the NL in 2014. He also finished first in total bases, slugging percentage and WPA. He finished second in OBP at .395 (only McCutchen finished higher than .400).
Lets look at his 2014:
Those 37 home runs, which came in 145 games, led the NL. Bear in mind we are in the midst of a pitching dominant era. He also finished first in slugging and total bases. He tied for first in total base hits and Win Probability Added. He finished second in OBP at .395 (only McCutchen, at .410, finished higher). Stanton also finished second in RBI. He tied for second in WAR among position players (again, in 145 games). He finished second in OPS and OPS+.
Oh, and he just turned 25 a few days ago.
With the exception of an injury impacted 2013 his stats are trending upward. It seems your subjective analysis of what qualifies as elite that does not take into context the current hitting environment.
I’d say he’s pretty darned elite. Now whether he’s worth the contract figures being bandied about is a separate matter.
higher ops than trout this year.
Big step from .271 to .300? It’s the cut-down strikeout rate that gets Stanton there, not any drop in power. He hit .290 in 2012 with 37 HR and .288 in 2013 with 37 HR, marking his high water mark in HR alongside his two best years in AVG. Stanton raised his AVG a solid bit in ’14, and cut down on his Ks (28.1% career after 2014, 26.6% in 2014) a good bit. He’s an elite hitter. Also, I’m into sabermetrics, so I’m not really much into RBIs. I feel they’re too situational to be predictive going forward, and reward the hitter too much to be valuable looking reflectively.
there aren’t 5 right handed batters better than him and he’s only 25. saying he isn’t trout isn’t a sufficient way too prove he isn’t elite. stop looking for steroid era stats.
Stanton’s a career .271/.364/.540 hitter for a 143 wRC+ with slightly below average overall baserunning, excellent patience, a strikeout tendency, and +19.5 career WAR coming off of his age-24 season. He just completed a second 5.6-win season in the last three campaigns, both times hitting 37 HR with a 156-159 wRC+. He played in every single game until getting beaned in the head, silencing durability concerns. He’s got 80-grade raw power that actually materializes into game power and has hit .288 and .290 in full seasons before. He’s a good athlete. Overall, he’s a great hitter based on his unreal batted ball authority when he makes contact, more than making up for his high strikeout rate. He walks a lot, plays overall good defense (+15 career UZR, +26 career DRS, eye test from observers) with okay speed but poor-ish baserunning. He’s a superstar, and certainly among the game’s elite. I don’t think anyone will argue that Giancarlo Stanton’s first five years are worthy of a Hall of Famer. His career offensive runs (~ +115) ranks thirtieth all-time for players with 2500 PA between ages 20 and 24, and forty-ninth if you drop the PA filter and add in the guys who didn’t play full-time 20-24. The ten names immediately above Stanton: Jimmy Sheckard, Miguel Cabrera, Sherry Magee, Ricky Henderson, Joe Medwick, Cesar Cedeno, Orlando Cepeda, George Davis, Vada Pinson and Tim Raines. Four Hall of Famers, two should-be Hall of Famers, a future Hall of Famer, two of the top younger players of their generations (Pinson and Cedeno were both awesome in their 20s) and, oddly, Jimmy Sheckard. Stanton is elite.
“Elite talent” Yes Stanton has the most power in the ML. And he took a pitch to the face, he would have hit 40-45 HR. I would consider him an above average player with REALLY GOOD potential to be Beyond Elite
More worth it than the $180MM for Scherzer have heard.
Finally.
He has zero reason to sign that deal unless there’s an opt out clause in it.
I could think of a few hundred million reasons…
He could get that same deal and more in a couple years. So…the opt out guarantees him a ton of financial security and the ability to get out of that abysmal organization after having received aforementioned financial security.
In a couple years he may be hurt/out of baseball. At this point he could have the security of this money guaranteed!
pretty sure he’s talking about an opt-out for stanton, not the marlins.
And what happens if he tears his ACL or gets in the head?
He would not opt-out.
he’d still have 300 million dollars…..
How much higher can he go? He should ask for an opt out, but if someone is offering you a guaranteed $300MM how can you turn it down?
He is still 2 years from free agency, he could easily lose $200MM of that from poor play alone.
I’m pretty sure excepting death or loss of limbs, Giancarlo Stanton could still make more than 100 MM as a 26-year-old free agent, even going year-to-year. Someone with deep pockets like Chicago, Boston, New York or an LA team would love to take a flyer on his age and already established production for five years and 100 MM. He’s already banking 13 MM for next year. I also think you’re severely overstating the risk of an actually career threatening injury. Stanton already has 18 MM in the bank once his arb payout hits. He doesn’t need to strike a contract to feed the family. He can afford to wait just twenty-three months and hit free agency as one of the most sought after commodities ever if he so chose. I think Florida’s no-state-income thing is bigger incentive to take the deal now. Also, you can’t ever really go wrong becoming the highest paid athlete of all time, I guess, lol.
The value of the Marlins FRANCHISE is just over $400 million. This is all a joke. If he and his agent are sharp, he will decline and get the same or better deal in a month or two after the Marlins trade him.
Couple of months because if he declines, he WILL be traded.
He may end up traded during the contract. Every time these sorts of contracts happen these players are always traded within 2-3 years of signing it. A-Rod Prince Fielder and countless others.
had to up vote just to get you to 50 up votes
Would you take that money now knowing it meant you would be on losing teams as long as you were a Marlin and also knowing that if you decline the deal that you would be traded and get the same or even a better deal in a few months?
Actually eight zeroes.
I doubt he turns down the largest contract in MLB history just because there is no opt-out. No trade clause is probably more important.
Agreed. I would say that contract would be immovable, but I’m sure some team would be willing to take on a massive contract in order to get the prime parts of the career of arguably the best right-handed power bat in the game today. If Stanton’s signing any contract with the Marlins, you would think he would require a NTC.
The contract really isn’t immovable. It’s not even unreasonable for someone of Stanton’s talent and age. Most of us just aren’t used to seeing 30 MM AAV in the game yet. If McCutchen, Trout, Stanton, Fernandez, Kershaw, Felix, Cabrera, etc. were free agents they would see ridiculous figures. Superstars are getting these types of deals. Stanton is elite. He’s unbelievable.
Won’t he have 10/5 rights by the 5th year anyway? Can’t imagine no-trade being a deal-breaker.
I never understand why teams do these kinds of deals… When have these ever worked out? I’m not saying Stanton will suck, it’s actually more or less the Marlins. I see this as another A-Rod contract where he’s still going to be good, but the team won’t win. Thus they will be inclined to try and trade Stanton a couple years into this deal. Either Stanton gets tired of losing and demands it, or if Marlins are tired of losing and bleeding money with his contract and people not coming to the games.
The first ARod contract worked out really good. They don’t never work out, they are all about getting excess value in the first few years. Cano will be bad the last few years, but as a 5-7 WAR player now the Mariners are paying under market value for these years.
The Stanton contract would be unique in that there is no decline really, since he so young.
To expand upon this, Manny’s 8 year deal with Boston in 2000 worked out, Pujols’s 7 year deal with St.Louis worked out, Jeters 10 year contract with the Yankees worked out, and I guess Miguel Cabrera’s first 8 year extension with the Tigers that originally was suppose to end next year worked out.
You guess? 2 MVPs and leading Detroit to a World Series appearance along with claiming the title of one of the best contractual bargains means you guess?
I said “I guess” because of #1 it isn’t over yet and #2 they extended him in the middle of it. Getting extended in the middle of a guaranteed contract with another guaranteed contract really means that the two contracts combine in this case.
I don’t like how you’re coming off when it’s obvious I had a reason for putting down “I guess”. Why would I label guys who are obviously worse than Cabrera as successes? I don’t understand you.
Yeah, sorry. I came off rude. I was mainly just suggesting I think Cabrera’s first deal, which’ll technically get played out in full at 152.3 MM, was one of the better recent long-term contracts, one of the true good 100+ MM deals.
10/300 with a full no trade clause, that probably what it take for a Stanton to sign in Miami. Miami is going to pay price for their bad reputation but it would go a long way to repairing that reputation.
That looks to be what he’s going to get!
I could still see him sign it with no clause. He still 2 years from free agency, can his value really go all that much higher than $300MM?
If he has two years like the last, probably. However, you’re right, the chances he’ll get more than the 300 million are slim. I think it’s pretty clear here that the Marlins are going to give him FA prices in order to keep him, as they wouldn’t be able to any other way.
300 MM for ten years looks like 33 MM per free agent year since he has eight of those (33 * 8 is 264, and he’s due ~35 MM in arb for ’15 and ’16). Stanton will be a power bat with elite batted ball authority and solid secondary skills coming off his age-26 season after the 2016 season. Stanton could command 10/330 at that point, in addition to the 35 MM he’ll have secured in arb these last two years. Kershaw got, I believe, 32.5 MM per FA year, and he’s a pitcher – way more volatile. Trout got I think 33 MM per FA year, and he hits FA again at 28/29. Cabrera got 31 MM per FA year, and that was on an extension kicking in for his age-33 season.
So a $30 million AAV. With a max payroll of $75 million through 2021, what kind of team could the Marlins put on the field with Stanton if he is making $30+ million?
Where is the $75m number coming from? I figure they would have to increase payroll if they are paying one player $30m – minimum $90m to start locking up other players. This would also have to be a sign that they’re willing to spend more to field a competitive team.
A team of players similar to their 45 MM 2014 payroll that won 77 games and has a great farm system backing them up? Plus, Stanton was taking up 5 MM this year, and won’t become a 30 MM player for a few years I’d imagine, during which time revenue should just continue to increase. 40 MM of payroll + Stanton won 77 games without Jose Fernandez for 3/4 of the season in 2014. It’s not unreasonable to say 45 MM of payroll + Stanton + healthy Jose Fernandez + more prospect health and less salary committed to people like Furcal could be a realistic long-term contender. I also think Loria would be willing to push the payroll past 100 MM. He did it in 2012 and mostly blew it up *because the team was bad*. It was an actually smart baseball move.
My guess is their will be a limited no trade so that Stanton has some bargaining power with teams that might acquire him. Perhaps he gets something like 10/300 with two team option years at 65 million combined that are automatically picked up should he be traded. I just can’t see Loria completely giving away the chance to do another tear down should he desire.
Good for the Marlins if this happens.
It would cripple the franchise if they did. If he is making $30 million and the Marlins have a max payroll of $75 million on revenue of $150 million, what kind of team would they be able to put on the field with him. A bunch of league minimum kids is the answer.
45 MM payroll room. A 45 MM 2014 Marlins roster won 77 games. Also, can you provide a source for 150 MM? Not a link, since those aren’t allowed, but did you see that somewhere?
anything less than $500MM is a steal
So a 10-year $490 million deal would be a steal?
yes. $499.99 would be too.
I didn’t know he was even Cuban.
actually, he’s of irish, african-american, and puerto rican descent. at least that’s what wikipedia says anyway.
Wikipedia is the greatest of sources!
In 4 years the Yankees will trade for him, and then he will opt out and then the Yankees will sign him to an even higher salary.
Why? I can’t imagine he’d turn down a 10 year deal with an AAV of $20-25 mil. The Marlins are bidding against themselves.
if they dont show him the money now then hes gone, a risk they have to take
They are going to have to overpay to keep Stanton in Miami. He can easily land a 10/250 deal as a free agent
But the Marlins have the benefit of negotiating now, rather than in 2 years. The risk and uncertainty that comes with 2 more years in the big leagues, especially considering the injuries Stanton has dealt with, is worth quite a bit. Stanton could turn down $250 mil and suffer a career ending injury in the next 2 years and wind up with nothing.
The Marlins also have the disadvantage of being the Marlins.
That’s a good point. Personally, I’d want a Kershaw-type deal. Big AAV with an opportunity to opt out after 4-5 years so I can hit another huge pay day while I’m still in my prime. Though, $300 mil would be nice too.
They also have no state income tax, which is big when you factor the teams that could be in on him in 2 years.
except that if they wait they don’t get much for him. if they can’t sign him they need to trade him. they can’t afford to play that game with him because he will go.
It’s getting out of hand
no it’s not
Here’s how that discussion is going.
Boras: we want 300 million for Stanton
Marlins official: we’ll offer you a third of that
Boras: No
Marlins official: well hey we discussed it.
if only boras was his agent
did he switch agents, I know boras used to be his agent.
Lol idk I was just going off what it says above
yeah, he switched.
I think his agent has always been Joel Wolfe of Wasserman Media. To my knowledge he was never a Boras client.
I bet it starts in 2017 and they trade him in 2016
Thanks for not reminder Reds fans of Votto’s contract in the comparables.
Time to start the Jose Fernandez trade rumors. Imagine he’ll be looking for his $200 million in a couple years.
Fernandez is one of the premier pitchers in baseball. He’ll probably be worth more than that in a couple years, imo. Especially if Scherzer is going to get about $200 million this offseason
Assuming he comes back from a surgery for an injury that has a higher chance of dramatically altering his career than other injuries. He has also pitched a single (albeit amazing) season. Let’s wait a few more games before calling him one of the premier pitchers worth northwards of ungodly.
I might be a bit biased here as Im a huge fan of Jose Fernandez. His age 20? season, albeit it was only one season, was ridiculously good and he has the stuff that can rival the likes of Kershaw.
Hope he recovers fully well.
I am a fan as well, I truly hope he has a long and healthy career because he is lights out when on. I would love to see another Pedro Martinez (in terms of sustained dominance) at a young age and though I dislike Marlins ownership, they could build a great team around Stanton and Fernandez if done well.
what if we add a clause like what they gave clayton kershaw or jonathan broxton? Kershaw’s is that if he gets traded his contracted is terminated at the end of the season. Broxton has it so that if he gets trade, and he did, the new team now has to pick up an extra year.
Stanton is probably just discussing what color pen he should sign with. 300 million in Florida is ALOT of money
Good thing he’s not in California. 300 million will only set you and about 6 generations of your family up for life….chump change.
Only 150mil is made in Florida.
Still, it’s more than other places because of Florida not having state income tax
True you can also consider his season home, off-season home, and spring training home can all be the same house. Considering both stadiums are in S. Florida and Miami is typically considered a nice place to live.
Everything is great except the baseball aspect. The stadium isn’t great for him and the team is horribly ran.
They’ll still find a way to trade him in two years…
In all seriousness they need a lot more than Stanton to be competitive, but locking up one of the games top young stars is a good place to start.
That’s why he needs the no-trade clause. That way, he can choose where he goes next. But with the Marlins’ young talent, they’re set to be a good team for the next few seasons. They’re offering this deal because they need Stanton as the centerpiece of what should be a winning team. The rest of those guys are pre-arb.
Does anyone learn anything from mistakes already made? Rodriguez, Howard, Pujols, Cano, Hamilton. The only exception may be Trout, though you could have said the same about any of the others at his age. Plus, the guy just had his face broken with a pitch, what if that has a long-term effect on his approach? Money in baseball is out of control and they keep making the same mistakes. Enjoy your filthy wealth sir, and please prove me wrong over time.
Main difference between those names and this one is Stanton is 25 years old. It could be said that A-Rod’s numbers supported the 1st 10 year deal and that he made his value. The others were all post prime deals. If you’re gonna give someone the big bucks this is the time to do it.
Steroids or not A-Rod’s first 10/250 mill deal was well worth it. So was Manny’s deal with Boston. There is also Jeter who signed that huge deal. Matt Holliday’s deal with the Cards….There have been plenty of huge contracts that were well worth it.
Although I do agree that signing a guy in their 30’s to a 10+ mill deal will generally not work out very well. Hopefully both of us are wrong about Cano though!
Stanton’s one comparison is A-Rod when he signed that huge deal with Texas. Both were superstars in their mid 20’s.
Although I don’t understand why the Marlins are offering 10/300 mill. Seems like they are bidding against themselves here. A 10/200-250 deal with an early opt out should have worked for both sides.
Very hard to imagine Stanton and his reps being content with 20m AAV (Freddie Freeman/Homer Bailey money pretty much) on a new deal at this point in the game. All this talk about where have all the power hitters gone, with Stanton being the premier slugger in the game. The age aspect is huge. That 10/220m deal the Reds gave Votto starts in 2015, his age 31 season. The same length deal for Stanton and he’d be 60% through with the deal by the time he’s Votto’s age now.
Jeter’s first contract was a good one.
A key difference is Stanton will be much younger than all of your examples at the end of a 10 year deal.
Age is definitely a factor, but so are injuries and the pressure to perform. Imagine if Bo Jackson was playing today; you’d see a contract negotiation like this and then an injury ruins his career (I know he got injured playing football, the point that is a bad injury, can physically and psychologically take a toll). Oh, remember how Joe Mauer was the best thing ever and then just stopped hitting? David Freese? Francoeur (both to a lesser extent, but for the sake of argument)? Really, it’s too much money for too long with too much uncertainty.
You do what you gotta do to keep the top bat in the NL in his prime imo. Risks aside. All contracts have them.
If Bo played today and was also playing football, he’d get an extension like that, but there would be a clause that voided the contract if he had an injury like he suffered. No one in their right mind would guarantee him nine figures without it unless he gave up football.
But not to this magnitude. It shouldn’t have to come to this to keep the top bat. What’s going to happen with Fernandez? Their pockets aren’t that deep. One hitter won’t keep the seats filled for too long, winning will. That’s why I applaud Kershaw; yes, he still got a monster deal, but he left $100m on the table from the team with the second deepest pockets to sign other players and win.
Kershaw averaging 30.7 mill per year on his contract that also includes an opt out clause. He didn’t leave much on the table imo. What he did was bet on himself that he will still be an elite pitcher in a couple of years and secure another huge contract.
See…….
When it’s so obvious to casual followers that think they’re on the inside of what will happen, something else does. it’s the way of all markets.
Same thing with people that think that MLB has never-ending sources of revenue, and that salaries are just going to continue to escalate as the cash flow does; so go ahead and commit to long-term, outrageous contracts. Like American real estate in the early 2000’s – it can only go up.
Is FL still state tax free? In a deal that big, that could be a HUGE difference maker.
The prior 2 years before last year, Stanton played 116 games and 123 games.
I’d be a little skeptical giving out a 10 yr commitment to a position player who doesn’t play close to 160 games a year.
Heck, I’d be skeptical even IF a guy played close to 160 games a year if he’s 25. You’re talking about committing big money to a guy until he’s 35.
This is a great point that seems to have been forgotten recently. He’s had one 150 game season. He woulda done it this year had he not got hit. But definitely something for teams to consider.
im surprised more people arent talking about this. before this season, everyone wondered if he’d stay healthy for a whole year. now its- “should we give him 10 years worth 300 million?” Quite the turnaround.
Wow. I was not expecting that much money. Even Trout was not certain to get that number. There’s no way he deserves that much money unless he’s a perennial MVP candidate like Trout, which he probably isn’t at least due to his less than perfect injury history.
Uhhh Stanton does deserve that money and anyone who disagrees is kidding themselves. Stanton most likely will be the mvp and rhe only way he isn’t is cause of getting hit in the face
Trout didn’t want that kind of contract. He got enough to set him up for life and hits free agency at the age of 28. The Angels would have guaranteed him 10/300 or something like that if he had asked for it. Any team would have.
Only to be traded like two years later in classic Marlins fashion
I knew he would break 200 million. But I expected 300 to be way out in left field.
Similar to most of Stanton’s hits.
bazinga
It probably is, lots of misinformation right now
This would be fantastic, but I just can’t see where this money is coming from. The team lost 8 million in 2013. And that’s with Stanton making just north of $500,000.
But does he want win?
They are basically begging him to be like Lebron in Cleveland.
“We aren’t going to be winning anytime soon, but we can use the jersey and merchandise sales you bring in.”
Except Cleveland went out and put talent around LeBron so they could win immediately.
Miami has put a lot of talent around Stanton, just much more quietly. Next year, with a few good additions, they could be going toe-to-toe with the Nationals, and definitely by 2016 they will be a legit playoff team.
That owner seems so violatile with the money. I wouldn’t it trust it.
They can win a WS and have a major fire sale the next month.
Just gotta question whether that group of players would be kept together past the 2016 season. People don’t question that the Marlins can get good, they question how long they’ll stay good before tearing it apart to restart the cycle.
I think that ether Loria will sell (by force), he’ll actually keep this team together.
The first would be better but I’d take either in a heartbeat.
That said, we all know that neither will actually happen.
I just don’t believe this. Stanton is a stud, but you simply can’t commit this kind of money and this number of years to anyone. have teams learned nothing from the A-rod and Pujols deals? Come on. Not to mention, if Stanton gets $300MM, I don’t even want to think about the contract that Trout will demand when he’s a free agent.
People keep bringing up Pujols and A-Rod, but they signed 10 year deals into their 40s. If Stanton signed a 10 year deal now, he would be 35 at the end taking him through all of his prime years.
I see your point, but 10 years is just too long of a deal for anyone, regardless of age. Too much can go wrong in 10 years. Besides, I don’t believe this is actually a real discussion. I think Stanton’s agent asked for $300MM, The Marlins said no, and his agent said, “Hey, we just discussed a $300MM contract for my client. Alert the press!”
Trout already got 30MM per year for the FA years he signed away with his extension, seems fair Stanton gets the same.
I don’t know about fair, and I don’t think MLB free agent deals have anything to do with what’s “fair.” It’s supply and demand. Players are going to get as much money as the market says they are worth. I think most would agree Trout is worth more than Stanton.
Why no comp to A-Rod’s first deal? I think that is quite fitting, and surprising that the largest contract in baseball would only increase by 20% in 14 years.
Well I think 25 year old A-Rod is more elite than 25 year old Stanton and A-rods first 252 million dollar deal would be 337 million in today’s dollars so it seems about right to me.
I wonder if they will try to keep Jose Fernandez, he is pretty damn good too. Can they afford both?
Stanton and Fernandez – $55m
Rest of team – $13.8m
I’m pretty sure it’s not a solid plan to resign two guys both coming off serious injuries in the same off season.
wouldn’t have to be same offseason.. But if Fernandez pitches like a Cy Young like he was early in the the year he’s probably going to want good money in the future.
Scott Boras is his agent. Your argument is invalid. But seriously, the chances of signing him on a team friendly deal are pretty slim given his choice in representation.
Actually that’s the best time to sign Fernandez because he may have some uncertainty and want a guaranteed contract to protect himself in case he gets injured again or suffers setbacks that can cost him more time.
That last sentence there that you wrote is exactly why you don’t resign him until he proves he is healthy. I don’t have the numbers but I would be very very surprised if a pitcher on the DL with a serious arm injury has ever been resigned by their current team before they prove they are healthy enough to pitch.
So, how many players that have signed 200+ million dollar contracts have been part of a World Series championship team?
A-Rod.
Stanton should take that contract because the Marlins will win the World Series in a few years with all the talent they have and then Stanton will be traded somewhere else along with the rest of their roster.
You nailed the latter part of your comment
lets summarize, is the contract a little high? maybe, but if you were the marlins what would you do? they need stanton to be resigned or risk losing a lot of fans and maybe incite riots. so they have to overpay
That contract would practically be a limited no trade clause in itself. Only a handful of teams could even contemplate trading for him with that type of deal. Still, I will believe it when I see it. Can’t imagine the Marlins being the team to break the $300 million contract barrier and offering a no-trade clause.
10 year deal with opt out after 7 years. He gets PAID right now and can leave if the team is not good enough to join a contender. He’ll only be 32. The Marlins get to keep him in his prime and get time to improve the team around him. Win-win for both sides.
If I’m Stanton I want an opt-out after years 4 and 6, to ensure the Marlins FO is truly serious about building a winning team around me. That extends team control for at least 2 more years, but also gives him a possibility of testing the open market at age 29.
Stanton will have a no trade clause, and the Marlins are willing to spend the money, that puts them ahead of the Mets in the East. They don’t have a young player like Stanton, and with Fernendez and some of their other young pitchers they look to be right behind the Nats. The shorter contract will probably have an opt out.
About $1 million per home run? A decent hitter with plus power, decent fielder with a very strong arm. I know he’s young, but there have been plenty of guys just like him and even better in the history of baseball. I suggest they talk to the Angels and ask how they feel about that Hamilton contract. In my opinion, no one is worth that much money.
Stanton better read the fine print, that’s a 10 day no trade clause, not 10 years. 🙂
300 million for 10 days? Okay!
im pretty sure he is already known
The only one mentioned in the article that has won a World Series post huge contract is Alex Rodriguez. I don’t see how these contracts pay off. Are the Angels recouping any of Pujols’ salary in merchandise or ticket sales? What do teams target as return on investment? Solely World Championships? How much is a World Championship really worth to a team?
It’s gotta be more than 10 years if it’s 300 MM, or it starts either in 2016 or 2017. I can’t imagine it’s 8 free agent years for 265 MM total. That’s a lot, about 33 MM a year.
20 years 450m….
So, he signs the contract and then MLB moves the team to Montreal?
Baby I got your money, don’t you worry.
Ralph Kiner just turned over in his grave.
So if Stanton gets $300 million, what is Trout going to get?
Trout already got his deal. 6 years/144M that starts next year. He’ll hit FA again at age 29 and will likely get another big deal, but probably not $300M big.
Forgot about that. I could only remember him signing a one year, one million dollar deal, because everyone realized that paying the best player the minimum was ridiculous.
Yep. Although interestingly enough if Stanton gets 12/300, he and Trout would have almost the exact same AAV. Trout’s deal gives him $24M a year and that deal would give Stanton $25M a year. Although obviously, Stanton’s would be for twice as long.
I think if trout test the market in 2020 he would surpass 300M. You see victor at 36 yrs. getting 68 for Dh.
Maybe not $300M, but I agree, he’ll get a lot. I’m pretty sure he wanted a 6 year deal instead of a 10-12 year one so he could be a free agent again when he’s still so young. At 29, he could probably get an 8 year $230M deal or something like that.
Not to be completely cynical, but the only way I can see Loria potentially committing that kind of money is if someone else (and he doesn’t care, it could be fans, it could be the taxpayers, or it even could be whomever he thinks will buy the team from him) absorbs much or most of it. Of course, they could just be bargaining for show, setting a price range that is so high that it’s intended to scare away potential bidders in free agency. It’s just hard for me to believe the Marlins would seriously pay this much money for anyone without having multiple strings attached.
The first step for Miami to become respectable again is extending Stanton. So there’s that.
Miami is really trying hard
Good for Stanton, I hope he revives baseball in Miami along with Jose Fernandez.
I just don’t see that happening. I hope it does revive something. Really, I don’t care…not a Marlin fan. I just think it’s sad seeing their shiny new stadium 80% empty every game. But thus far, nothing has gotten Miami interested in baseball, I don’t think this will either.
If Stanton signs that deal then you can day bye bye to ffernandez
once that kid hits free agency? Point is i know what miami is trying to do. this will make it worse before it gets better if he signs that you can’t afforrd anyone else
If this is true, there is no way Stanton can turn it down. That said, I’m still really skeptical. I don’t really believe Miami is serious about giving him that kind of money for the next 12 years.
He’d be stupid to turn this down. Talk about setting a precedent.
Angels got Trout for $144.5 for six years.
This just seems a bit ridiculous? 12 years for Stanton sounds even crazier, but I guess the Marlins are trying to learn from their mistake of trading Miggy away.
Trout probably wanted a shorter deal because it would mean he could test free agency again before he’s 30. He’ll be a FA again at 29 and could probably get an even bigger deal. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Trout makes more than $300M over the next 12 years.
I know my team is poor and could never sign Stanton to that kind of deal, but there isn’t a player in baseball worth that much. Stanton doesn’t have that much of an effect on a game by himself. Horrid idea if they actually make that deal.
if you were the marlins what would you do? they need stanton to be resigned or risk losing a lot of fans and maybe incite riots. so they have to overpay
I think you bring up an interesting point, but what would have to happen for this contract to be considered a success? I think most people would agree that Stanton would never be able to live up to this contract for the entire life of the contract. He probably won’t be one of the best players in the league, once he’s 30-32, but he’ll continue to be paid like one through age 36.
With that said, would the Marlins consider this a success if they won a World Series Title? Won Multiple Titles? Just had a competitive team every year who made the playoffs somewhat regularly? Got a new TV deal? Actually made baseball popular in Miami? I just don’t know what would make this a good deal for Miami.
I think the possibility of Stanton chasing the all-time HR record is factor here too
Right! A good point. I guess my point is, when a team signs a deal like this, even they don’t expect the player to live up to it. They have something else in mind that they think makes the contract worth it.
I guess the comparable is Miggy. Detroit’s tourist attraction is Cabrera.
Chicago has Michigan Avenue.
Boston has the Freedom Trail.
Washington has the Capital.
Detroit has Miggy.
There really is no logical reason that this market should be selling ~3,000,000 tickets every single year in its home stadium… or have the #1 rating share of ALL MLB teams tickets … except Miggy.
I am not sure that that kind of effect would work in Miami.
When Theo Epstein signs free agents to contracts, flips them for prospects, uses those prospects to mix with his minor league prospects to build a core so that he can then lay out some big money to lock in strategic players to huge long-term contacts to build a perennial contender – he’s regarded as a youthful genius and the legendary baseball person of his generation.
When Jeff Lauria and his FO do that, he’s regarded (particularly by the national sports media) as a disgrace to baseball that should be forced to sell his team.
It’s all perception.
Theo Epstein signs players coming off bad years, (See, Feldman, Hammel) and gives them 1 year deals to build value. Not only value for the player to get a good deal going into free agency, but to build trade value. Jeff Lauria and his FO did not do that. He signed players such as, (Reyes, Buehrle, etc) to long term deals, in what was seen to be a time to compete. The cubs were in a full rebuild, which was known to every FA who signed for their 1 year deals prior to being traded. To compare the two organizations is inaccurate.
But hey, “It’s all perception”
Please.
They did the same thing.
Theo Epstein did this to a declining team that was headed nowhere fast. Jeff Loria did it to a team that had just won the World Series. Most successful teams don’t go into full rebuilding mode immediately after a successful season that saw them win the World Series.
Theo & Co took over a middling at best Cubs team with overpriced vets and a non-existent farm system. The FO preceded to sign & flip one year aging rentals to build and sustain a core.
The Marlins continually churn out young talent, only to sell them off at their peak to avoid paying market value. The one time they invested heavily in outside talent it coincided with public tax payers deciding if they wanted to fund the Marlins. Every large expenditure from that off season coincidentally were shipped off after a new stadium was built. Loria did nothing short of scamming the public for hundreds of millions of dollars.
Just because the FO of the Marlins were able to recoup value from the trades does not equal solid organizational structure.
Not perception, just good baseball sense.
When is the last time Theo put a team on the field with an entire payroll less than a single player in the league? The Marlins have done that more than once.
He will reject it. He wants to win. How are the Marlins going to contend over the next 10 years when 30% of the payroll is just for him?
My prediction? Marlins offer him a contract this offseason, Stanton doesn’t sign, Marlins try to contend in 2015 with him and either trade him at the deadline or next offseason.
This is the same team that traded a draft pick so they could afford to sign Kevin Gregg. This is just so they can claim to their fans that they tried to sign him when they wind up trading him.
300MM?? Trout should’ve held out. Some will say…well he got financial security. Yes he did. But he also got cost-controlled, which means the owners won. He should’ve gone to arbitration and watched his money pile up. Not because it’s good to be greedy or you can’t have enough money. But because owners generally win when players get seasons bought out. He had a historic case and would’ve earned way more – a win for players and the MLBPA.
GS can’t turn down $300 M–he could reduce the number of years. The owner will not pay more than $300 M. The owner once he’s locked in will look to sell the team, my guess. Someone with deeper pockets interested in winning will recognize the value and pay the better players to stay.
Horrible decision. On both sides. Stanton could make way more then that by age 36 and the Marlins are one really bad injury away from having the worst contract in MLB history. His talent is worth the money, but not at that length. Too many variables that could destroy the enitre thing.
What a crock. They cant do it. That is 4 years payroll for their entire team. Its not financially feasible. To do it they would have to fill the other 24 spots on the roster with $500k guys.
This would be truly amazing, especially since it takes him through his prime. But then again these are the Marlins we are talking about so ill believe it when I see it.
What could possibly go wrong
I know everybody drools over Stanton, but $300 million… is it worth it? Doubtful.
Usually huge contracts are given because of what a player has done, which doesn’t make sense when you’re paying for the present and future. This contract is about paying a player for what he can and will do, which nobody can predict.
Either way, no single athlete is worth that much money. This is bad for baseball.
did somebody win powerball?
Lots of money for the Marlins on that deal but I’m not sure it will happen
Lets put it simply, this is nothing more than a PR move. The Marlins cant do this financially or competitively and Stanton wont do it.
One exec said this to Jerry Crasnick –
“Stanton will not sign a long-term deal there before spring training, or ever,” an NL personnel man said. “He doesn’t like the organization, regardless of what he says, and Miami doesn’t have the money to get a deal done. They could in theory make a huge offer that he takes, but they will not have the revenue to build around him should he accept. Any offer they make is a PR move in my opinion — and they will put out a press release when he turns it down.”
Sure, one person Crasnick spoke to said that. Of course, he also talked to five executives who said they think Stanton will be extended, which he mentions in that same piece.
I wish Stanton played for the Mets….sigh…
25 years old. I’d give a 25 year old who’s proven to be a franchise player a 300M/12 year contract.
Its the Marlins so they might as well make it $400 million.
12 year deal, damn!!
Im sorry but this deal is just insanity
wow! really?
So owner Jeffrey Loria conned taxpayers and politicians into building his new $515 million new Marlins Park……
Can he con the Marlin fans into paying for Stanton..surely he is not going to pay for it!
when will he be traded away? or when everyone around him will be trade away?
If Gian is going to get that kind of money. Jose Fernandez is most likely going to ask for more. I dont want to say Gian doesnt deserve that money but its not a smart move by the Marlins.
Risk of offering a pitcher that type of deal is far greater than offering it to an outfielder. Baseball just isn’t at the point where a pitcher can garner that kind of commitment.
it’s not going to happen anyway.
Ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!
Haven’t teams learned their lesson with these types of contracts
They will when the fans stop paying through the teeth for tickets, beer, parking and tv packages. How do you think they keep affording these massive mistakes? They certainly aren’t going to pay for them! No, no, no. They just pass that right along to the consumer, and we keep lapping it up as if it’s okay.
I think Stanton signed to a 12 year/$320 million deal would be gutsy and would be a huge bargain. Prices are going to go up significantly over ten years.
As long as it isn’t guaranteed money….
It is guaranteed money. All contracts in MLB are guaranteed, unless you do something really stupid to void the contract.
Would be guaranteed money. If Trout is getting $33M per free agent year then you’ve got to figure that Stanton would receive a similar amount. And contracts will go up significantly over the ten year period. Remember when people thought Teix was making a lot of money when he signed for 8 and 180? It’s still significant but it’s not so much at this point.
You are really going to put Stanton on the same level as Trout? Wow. That is an epic over statement of Stanton or epic understatement of Trout. We have really lost our senses when we cannot look at the empirical evidence and determine what is elite and what is a guy with a very good year.
Stanton is elite. And Trout got $33M in an extension while Stanton would get money in FA. Obviously, if Stanton signed an extension for 12 years and 320 million then he’d be getting about $28M per free agent year compared to Trout’s $33M per free agent year.
Yeah I know its guaranteed, I was just being stupid. In my opinion Stanton has not proven himself like Trout has, but maybe I’m just west coast biased.
I don’t think there’s any question that Trout is better. But I do think that Stanton could get in free agency what Trout got in an extension.
I don’t think they will go up as much as you may think. The influx of money from TV contracts will eventually end as many teams have already signed a long term deal already. TV contracts allowed for player salaries to skyrocket in the last decade as many teams (not just the Yankees) can now afford to have multiple 20+ million dollar players.
Most of the TV contracts we’ve seen don’t actually start until 2016. That’s the case for the Rangers, Angels, Phillies, Mariners and Diamondbacks at least. But they’re also formed in a way that the amounts increase per year. We’ll continue to see skyrocketing salaries.
You may be right (I haven’t actually checked when those deals kick in). That said the point still stands in that the rise in contracts should not continue to exponentially increase as they have in the last decade or so. Sure the amount increases yearly but it should only be a couple of percent to cover the rise of inflation (or at least projected rise).
Also many of the teams you have listed are already spending/begun to spend knowing they will have an increase in revenue from the TV contracts.
Not a chance Stanton turns something like this down if he gets offered the deal. The Marlins are taking a big risk, and I’m guessing one of the biggest sticking points would be a potential no-trade clause, assuming Stanton even wants one.
The contract itself would be about a 24 team NTC. So at that point, there’s not much need for one.
There are probably four teams in baseball that could take on that contract. I agree, no need for a no trade clause at all.
Not a player on this earth I would give that kind of money to…..When I see contracts like this it makes me think baseball will have a salary cap someday
I hope no salary cap as I think owners should be able to sign players for whatever they value the players at, but agree with your sentiment about it being crazy. what is more absurd is Stanton just is not that great. .217 lifetime BA and avg+ defense? When Trout extension starts we are going to see beyond historic numbers. Trout is a true elite player unlike Stanton who just has not shown anything close to elite.
.271 lifetime avg. sorry.
.364 lifetime OBP!
yes. not elite. get into the .400 range lifetime and now we are looking at getting into the elite category.
How is that not elite? His career OBP places him in the top 30 among active players and he was 4th in OBP in 2014.
One year is not elite. Top 25 of current active players is not elite. Elite is HOF candidate (look at Pujols for an active player with a lifetime .400+ OBP… that is Elite). Stanton is above Avg when taking in offense and defense combined (he is really quite pedestrian defensively).
If that’s your position I’m sure the Angels would gladly trade the “elite” Pujols for the “pedestrian” Stanton.
That is insane…
Looks like Trout made a bad decision to renew his contract last spring. Imagine what he could get on the FA market at 26 if Stanton got this contract.
Wait till Trout gets his 10 year/$300M deal. He’ll be alright.
Jose Abreu’s contract looking cheaper with every passing month.
Ummm they aren’t comparable at all?
I think hitting .317/.383/.581/36/107 made Abreu’s contract look cheaper, regardless how much Stanton makes.
This league.
Who knows what a $320MM contract will look like in 12 years. Twelve years ago, Alex Rodriguez had recently signed a $252MM deal. Today, there are eight different $200MM+ deals and five different contracts have had a higher AAV. If I were Giancarlo, I wouldn’t sign this. I’d wait another couple of years when he hits a weak free agent market heading into a full season of being just 27. I think he could do better than this deal then.
As a Bengal Fan, seeing Andy Dalton sign a 100+ Million dollar contract didn’t phase me because I knew at some point if the results did match–he would be cut and besides the little guaranteed money he had we would be free of the contract. This however just blows my mind, 320 guaranteed million dollars. I cant fathom that this is a reasonable or justifiable deal for any one player. Not Trout, Not Kershaw, Not Hank, Not Cutch, not a single player on the planet in any sport is worth that kind of money. Do not get me wrong, Stanton deserves to be paid–handsomely–but this number is something I cant not wrap my head around. Who knows if he will ever be the same after taking the pitch to the jaw (I would image he would be), All it takes is one blown knee, for this contract to look really really…really scary.
I think the Marlins’ rebuild made good strides 2014. They should continue to draft, acquire, and develop players. I think that not keeping Stanton would be a major PR problem, but signing him to this kind of contract is an even worse option. If I’m in the Miami FO, I’m playing to fans with this kind of talk to keep interest up. He could be traded @ Winter Meetings IMO.
The Marlins have the strangest history. From cheapskates, to spendthrifts, back to cheapskates, to that massive offer.
I expect the headline tomorrow to be updated to at least “20 years, 40 billion”
I’m curious what the insurance would cost the Marlins. With his injury history and a deal north of 250, it certainly wouldn’t be cheap. Very necessary, though.
Olney makes it sound like a bargain.
Zito, Sabathia , Texiera, A-Rod, …. the list goes on and on. I agree with you but even so aren’t the smart guys who are in charge of their teams seeing that his process does not work.
If Abreu had sign for 12 yrs instead of 6. Jose’s contract would be for 184 mil less than 320 mil Stanton’s looking for overs 12 yrs. My guess is deal never gets done. Stanton should ask for 400 mil from a front office as inept as Miami’s.
What will this do to the Marlins payroll?? They are in the 60-70 million range with Stanton making HALF? Something’s gotta give.
Basically says to me that their payroll is going to increase in conjunction with Stanton’s salary. They can’t field a $70MM payroll with Stanton earning $29MM — it’s not feasible. If they can keep it in the low $100MMs even, however, it’s probably doable, especially if they get Yelich locked up to a reasonable deal.
And who knows where MLB payrolls will be 10 years from now? $150MM payrolls could be the norm, at which point it wouldn’t even be that difficult to have $28-30MM locked up in a single player.
Why stop at 13yrs go 14 or 15.
I’d prefer to characterize the deal as “rounding 3rd” versus “on the 10 yard line,” but that’s just me nitpicking. :)~
I would offer Stanton either a no trade clause or an opt-out, not both.
If I was Stanton I’d ask for both.
Seems to me that the leverage is all his already so why not?
Exactly my thought.
Seems like it but Miami needs to push back a bit. If Stanton really cares about being the franchise player and playing his whole career in Miami then take the largest contract in history with a NTC. If he cares more about money, take the opt-out and accept the risk that Miami might trade him later in the deal.
Honestly if any club hands out this kind of contract any options should be mutual to protect the club as well. You might be right that the club is pushing back and part of the hold up.
I guess he used his leverage lol. Rumors now are 13 years NTC and Opt out. At this point it seems he can pretty much demand anything and get it.
This is exactly the time that a team like the Red Sox should jump in and give their best offer. There is bound to be “buyers regret” feeling right now with the Marlins, even before the deal is finalized.
They can get the “Hershel Walker” deal right now. That seems like a much better idea than giving a .271 hitter eleventy billion dollars.
Marlins haven’t been to the playoffs with Stanton on the team and by paying him more the Marlins still won’t make it. This is not basketball. You need more than one superstar on the team. Giving one guy all the money isn’t a winning strategy unless it is followed up by other big moves.
As much as we, as baseball fans, like to make fun at the Marlins FO they have won two championships in the last two decades.
Also I don’t think they really need to make any big moves. They have one of the youngest and most talented rosters already. They just need a little time. I think they may be a playoff team next year.
They won those two by trading and dealing. Limited payroll and an albatross contract (potentially) will certain derail the Marlins. Hopefully things work out for then but these long term deals have not worked for anyone as of late.
I disagree. I really think they would have preferred to keep those teams in tact, but did not have the finances to do so. With increased revenues from a new stadium, MLB TV contract and potentially a local TV contract they will be able to keep more players signed to long term deals.
Looking at the huge extensions that were signed in the last two decades some of them have handsomely paid off (in terms of dollars to performance). Granted many have failed flat. That said I think when a player was signed to a huge extension in their twenties they have generally worked out for the ball club while those signed while the player was in their 30’s generally have been terrible deals.
Rumors say Stanton also wants a clause included that states the coaches can only refer to him Sir Stanton, King of Miami.
For that kind of money from the Marlins, I am assuming the contract states “We, the Miami Marlins (hereafter referred to as “the team”), are offering, Giancarlo Stanton a 13 year, $325 million contract to play rightfield for the team.
In addition to these duties, you will be required to pitch at least 50 innings in relief, man rightfield as well as part of center field (while our other outfield handles the remainder), work at least 200 hours in the front office, maintain the field before games, and work a part time job to help the team recoup some of its losses.”
Also daycare duties for children of teammates and front office people
This reminds me of Melo and the Knicks
Time to move the fences in!
A 13-year extension, wow. That would be unheard of in baseball. I’m almost positive it would be the biggest contract – extensions, including pre-existing contracts, anything – length-wise in MLB history. Right now I believe Cabrera (2 existing years, 8 extension years, 2 option years) and Votto (2 existing years, 10 extension years) hold the record for the longest time under contract, followed by Jeter (10), A-Rod (10, 10), Pujols (10), and Cano (10). Wayne Garland and Dave Winfield, way back when, also signed 10-year deals, I believe.
The only real question left is how much of that contract do they eat when they trade him in two years
Or, more likely, Stanton stays in Miami for awhile. He’s not signing this without the ability to control where he goes.
…and Florida has no state income tax.
Excellent point I’d forgotten. Probably boosts this contract value even more and provides extra incentive for Stanton to want to stay and lead this core of Fernandez, Alvarez, Ozuna, Yelich and Eovaldi going forward.
The no-trade clause really is only an issue for 2015-2019 of any mega deal. If I had to say, I’d say Miami should give him a full NTC for 2015-2017 and limited for 2018-2019. He gains 10/5 rights during the 2020 season, which I also just realized I don’t believe any Miami player has ever gained, hilariously.
325 mil is a lot of money
My issue isn’t necessarily with the contract (although it is a bit too long for my taste), but the fact that the Marlins would commit to this long and large of a deal.
I mean they aren’t really a team that has maintained a large payroll and if they do give Stanton a no-trade clause, he is going to eat up a large % of their payroll for some time and hamstring their payroll flexibility.
Interesting, but the oddest of matches. Miami is not a team that likes to commit long-term money and keep it on their books, and Stanton wants to win, and he’d be essentially committing himself to an organization that values winning substantially lower than cash flow. I’d like to see a homegrown player stay, but I wonder if the two sides know what they are getting into.
The updates to this article today from Steve Adams make this contract seem a little bit more logical for Stanton. He has already sustained injuries that almost ended his career…and these injuries could happen at any time to any player. A player is always at risk of a career-ending injury, so if a team is dumb enough to tender a 13 year contract worth more than 300mm to any player….the player pretty much has to accept it as an insurance policy of his own. The odds any player will lose effectiveness or become injured in a 13 year period are extremely high…so for the player, this insures he gets paid enormous amounts of money whether the team is good or bad, whether he is injured or not; he’ll get paid even if he gets hit in the face again next year and doesn’t play for the final 12 years of the contract. Gotta accept an offer like that!!!
In Roman numerals M=1000, so using the Roman nomenclature MM=2000 not 1,000,000. The Romans added the numbers, but didn’t multiply them.
I’m an electronic tech. and was taught based on Greek nomenclature that k(kilo)=1000. m(mili)=.001. M(Mega)=1,000,000.
Using MM for a million seems wrong to me, although is used commonly.
It’s a generally accepted practice of abbreviating a million that it is accurate.
So in your own post you informed me that “M” stands for 1,000 and 1,000,000. Thanks for clearing up what abbreviation would be appropriate to you. Additionally, “3.25 Mega dollars” sounds like a four year old catch phrase.
MM=MxM=1000×1000=1,000,000
Perfect abbreviation really
Roman numerals use addition and subtraction with the letter before or after the largest value but never multiplication
Yup, its on the 10 yard line with 90 yards to go and at the Winter Meetings in San Diego the Marlins can say we tried to sign him and now we are trading him. This is all a PR stunt to sell season tickets and its not going to happen. It cant happen and the Marlins stay a viable franchise. It would be Stanton and the replacements, because they wouldnt be able to afford another player that is above replacement level.
lol its almost done, guess they threw a hail mary and looking to kick the xtra point
This is when baseball becomes ridiculous. The money these players are making is enough already yet they are getting greedy. No baseball player deserves more then 100 million for a full term of his contract lol yet it’s already looking like a 300 million record could be set…I mean, don’t get me wrong I love baseball but man this is getting to a point where the people of MLB have to say enough is enough, you’re breaking the bank with certain teams committing to this and then they wonder why teams have fire sales lol
Baseball players get a smaller piece of the pie than any other major sport (around 40%). Basically all you’re saying is the owners should get more than they already do.
I am not saying anything about the owners lol just saying this is why so many people think baseball needs a salary cap.
Who cares, either the player or the owner are going to make the money. Its not like they are going to lower ticket, beer and jersey prices if player salaries go down.
Jealous? You do realize these people are on TV every night now for 6-7 months, just like any TV show. They’re TV stars, not just ball players. They’re human billboards. That’s why they make as much as they make.
Why would I be jealous? It’s just the fact that it’s paper…money is printed paper. Nothing more. Sure it get’s you the finer things in life but a player shouldn’t have to make that much just to play the sport he loves. This is why the world is the way it is cause everyone is greedy lol
Almost a done deal. 13 year/$325 million
Should be $333MM, half a beast.
Not bad, not bad at all.
wow
“…the Marlins feel an increased need to lock up Stanton
due to the fact that they have become discouraged about their ability to
sign right-hander Jose Fernandez to a long-term deal…”
Why are these mutually exclusive options? You can have a cleanup hitter AND a pitcher.
I think that is referring to Fernandez’s desire to make to FA as soon as possible.
It came off as them turning their attention to locking up Stanton because Fernandez is walking. I’m sure the Marlins have more than one person that can negotiate with players.
Fernandez have a great Agent (Boras)
I think the Marlins are reading between the lines and realize Fernandez has Boras, which essentially means there is no way they sign Jose to an extension before he hits FA.
So with that said, there is greater pressure to retain at least one of them. The Fish have two great players age 24 and under. You can’t let both of them go. Not if you want to win and show your fanbase you have a commitment to winning.
“Not if you want to win and show your fanbase you have a commitment to winning.”
I don’t think they’ve ever cared about those with Loria leading the team.
Don’t disagree with you. But maybe Loria has had a change of heart. Stanton has 325 million reasons to think so.
Sounds like an excuse for Loria to say he does spend money, instead of continuing to build around Stanton. Obviously, that’s just my opinion.
Well if he doesn’t spend this money, Stanton isn’t going to be there to build around. People were going to criticize Loria no matter which path he chose with Stanton. Glad to see the Marlins locking him up.
No, I think that’s a perfectly valid opinion. Loria did the same thing in 2012 when they moved into the new ballpark, signing Reyes and Buerhle, and then looked what happened after the year. He doesn’t have the greatest track record.
Personally, I think this a bad deal for both the Marlins and Stanton. I get Stanton may be weary of not getting hurt again and wants financial security, but a) his contract becomes a serious hindrance on the Fish’s ability to spend money on other talent over the next twelve years; and b) as you said, why would you trust Jeffrey Loria?
It’s going to have an opt-out. So if Stanton isn’t happy in 5-6 years, he opts out and goes wherever he wants.
For Stanton’s sake, I hope so. Ozuna and Yelich are both FAs in 2020, with Fernandez in 2019, so I guess the Fish have a six-year window.
This contract also contains a clause that Loria must bow to Stanton every time their paths cross.
Loria is still the one with the ring, even though he essentially inherited that team.
Over/under 20 years before some player signs a 1 billion dollar contract?
D’Angelo Ortiz
I believe it will be 10 ten years, and it will be insane. At that point, I’ll just stop watching baseball
He’s worth all of it.
Said no one ever.
Well…….Loria did
This is going to destroy this franchise. it looks like its fernandez not Stanton in play now. good luck trying to build a team around him
I’d take my luck with that.
Ok good luck signing anymore players. he is going to have to play every position wth him making that much.
Even if he makes $30MM next season, the Marlins are at $70MM in payroll. There’s plenty of money to add pieces for a ~5 year run. And, yes, the Marlins do have money even though they “reported” a loss.
I’m not faulting him at all i would take that contract too. I’m wondering how the marlins are going to pay him. don’t they have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball.
The TV contract MLB signed last year gives every team $25MM per season for roughly the next decade. This isn’t even counting other revenues. They’ll be fine.
What other revenue? The marlins have the lowest atenddance in baseball they lost money that 25 million won’t cover stanton alone high ticket prices here we come
The team might “lose money”, but that’s before profit sharing and external revenue sources, including the TV deal
Ticket prices don’t go up when there’s low attendance…
Have no fear, he won’t be with the Marlins in a couple years when they decide to have their next fire sale.
The Marlins seem to have a lot of young pieces in place. They should have just traded Stanton, got themselves some Wil Meyers, Addisson Russell types in return, and made a run at it with that cost controlled nucleus for the next 4 years.
Now they have Stanton as part of that nucleus to try to win the next 3-4 years.
Too bad the Braves and Nats are in the division. Then again, good thing the Phillies and Mets are in the division.
I wasn’t aware they’d be in a different division if they traded Stanton.
The Nats and Braves have a lot of players due for free agency in the next couple years. I would expect them to stay competitive, but hardly teams that can’t be overtaken in the East.
I was speaking towards the Marlins competing within the next few years. I agree the Braves and Nats have flaws or upcoming dilemmas, but I think Miami still has some serious work to do within the next 3-4 years before they lose some of their young talent to FA.
My only reaction is: imagine what Trout will get…..
Didn’t he already get an extension?
EDIT: Yes, he did. 6 years, $144.5MM
A really bad extension for Trout, all baring major injury of course. The money raises during his arbitration years are pretty minimal considering there’s never been a good of player as him hit arbitration in recent years. They also only bought up his should be first 3 seasons as a FA.
The Angels bough up 3 of Trout’s prime seasons without buying up any of the decline phase season and Trout will hit the market at age 29 with 150 Million already in his pocket. Seems like a good deal for all parties involved if you ask me.
We all expected him this kind of a deal that Stanton is reportedly going to make and like I said his arbitration raises are pretty stingy. He’s getting a $4M raise for next season for crying out loud, I won’t ignore the other $4M raise for his last year before his would be last year of team control.
We all said it was a steal for the Angels and only good deal for Trout if he get’s seriously injured in the near future because it’s hard to imagine him not getting records in arbitration raises.
Trout got half as much money for less than half as many years, it was a good deal for him too. It hard to draw comparisons between a 6 year deal which covers 3 arbitration season and a 13 year deal that covers 2 arbitration seasons.
I am referring to his next post-arbitration extension.
Okay, let’s figure this one out from the Marlins side.
1) They have some bad PR to deal with because of their history of signing and dumping players. This not only goes to the fan base but also to potential signing players, arbitration-eligible players that are looking to sign long-term, and draft pick selections. That’s a BIG pool of affected players.
2) LeBron is gone as the face of the city. Stanton becomes the face of the city, an identity. It’s huge in terms of marketing because a city’s top athlete is always on the minds of advertisers and fans.
I don’t need to list any more points. This gives validity to the franchise, it gives future free agents and re-signing young players hope and poise and excitement. It gives the fan base an apology and a commitment all at once.
This is priceless for Miami, and it appears they are trying to put a price on it. It’s expensive, but I will argue that this signing is something that MUST be done, and I will argue that it is WORTH it as well.
They should change Stanton’s number to recoup some of the contract money through jersey sales.
Usually established players get to choose their number. And a lot of players are superstitious and don’t like to change numbers.
Put it in the contract. Make Stanton change his jersey number twice throughout the 13 years. The Lakers did okay for themselves when Kobe switched to #8. This will probably be the biggest internal revenue stream for the Marlins.
If they are spending 30 million a year on him, they better be spending **at least** 120 million on everyone else. But they wont, because they are the Marlins. It makes sense for the Marlins to sign him, it doesn’t make sense for him to sign there. He can make the same money anywhere else and also win at the same time.
2 years is a long time to wait to get this kind of money offered again and a LOT can happen between now and then. Any downturn in production or too many visits to the DL and suddenly he’s only worth 150 million as FA not 300+ million. 1 year yeah I could see maybe waiting to really maximize value or find a preferred home, but he has 300 million being tossed his way now. I could see how that could be next to impossible to turn down no matter who you are or your motivations in life.
There is basically nothing other than a horrific, career threatening injury that could hurt Stanton’s value. He has the rarest skill in baseball, everyone knows that, everyone wants him. No DL stint will change that.
He could break a wrist and lose power… Anything can happen in two years… Kendry Morales is a great example… Was on a similar trajectory, breaks leg jumping on home plate now he’s lucky to get 15 million a year. It can and does happen. Any agent worth a grain of salt would not advise his player to turn down a record breaking contract and wait two years. Even Boras would want to Stanton sign this deal.
Lets set things straight, NO player has been on the trajectory Stanton is on since, I dunno, ARod.
Well if you’re setting it straight, then back it up with stats.. Stats that no player has put played as well as A-Rod since A-Rod, not Pujols or Trout or McCutchen.. And that still deviates from the point of people get hurt and then lose value.
You don’t need stats to back up Stanton, you just have to watch him hit laser beam homeruns to the opposite field a few times. He’s a guy that you knew, after his second season, he was basically a hall of fame player. Not many guys are like that. Trout is another example, but he is a totally different type of player. Stanton is playing in the post steroid era, in one of the lowest scoring environments since the beginning of the steroid era, in one of the most pitcher friendly divisions in one of the most pitcher friendly parks, and he is putting up video game numbers while utilizing the rarest, most valuable, and most coveted skill in the sport.
okay, well have a great day. You don’t actually want to give examples of guys who got hurt and then signed historic contracts..
This is an unprecedented situation. There aren’t any obvious hall of fame players who, in the beginning of their prime, entered free agency in the current baseball climate (aka past 3-4 years). I guess Miguel Cabrera is the closest. He was injured, btw. But he wasn’t a free agent.
Chris Davis did that two years ago too.. heh
Who would come to see the 325MM dollar man anyway? It’s always half empty there.
The fish in the tanks behind home plate.
Mind warping….
Yay, now that ARod deal won’t be the all time record
Still the worst one from the bunch though.
Out of the big contracts tho I think he’s the only where the team won the world series.
No worries, Arod still holds the all time record for biggest slime ball
While the A-Rod deal is bad, quite possibly the worst return on dollars for WAR ever, but the only truly bad deal is one that prohibits you from signing more potentially bad deals and the Yankees have doled out several $100 million deals since. The Marlins, meanwhile, will find themselves in quite a bind if this gambit doesn’t pan out ….
I wonder what the M’s would have to pay Seager to keep him in Seattle then. Probably nothing this ludicrous, but still.
Of course, the opt out clause is for the Marlins….
Crazy contract, just crazy. But, it keeps another budding superstar from hitting free agency and signing with the Yankees or another mucho-market team. That is good enough for me. That free agent crop for 2016, 2017, 2018 is looking mighty thin. Hope these free-agency fueled teams are starting to build their farm systems.
This contract is about more than keeping Stanton, its about showing the MLB that Miami isn’t just the team that trades anybody good when they get expensive. It was as much a PR decision as it was a baseball decision.
There is no “PR” that is worth $325MM.
They could still trade him later. The Yanks would take him and the contract.
Hence the no trade clause.
more money makes that go away….
No Trade Clauses are like “no returns” policy on ebay. They still happen with that in place.
Its showing that Stanton basically runs the Marlins
What’s better? The Marlins with Stanton for 13 years, or with the prospects they could have gotten for him? Take money out of it, this isn’t the NBA, one superstar can’t win you a title. You need a team, can they afford to go out and get a #4 starter 5 years from now or fill a need at closer when they need to paying Stanton this much?
I’d personally rather have the know commodity than the prospects who could potentially become MLB players.
Teams are reluctant to trade a player with Stanton’s ability. There aren’t very many of them. Most prospects are busts.
You say take money out of it, then throw out a scenario asking if the Marlins can afford a starter while paying Stanton.
The return would be gigantic during the season. Picture the Teixiera trade. Devils advocate though this is the team that traded mIguel cabrera and didnt get the world back
That was a totally different era. Back then offense was worth a lot less. Right now, a power bat is at an all time high in value. It’s like if gold reached 4800, you’d sell it. It doesn’t even matter, you’d sell it. When is the next time gold is getting to 4800?!
Except in this case, the seller is Stanton, not so much the Marlins.
well, good luck!
Stanton was inches away from a career ending injury last year. If he gets injured, he gets paid. The Marlins have good young players to build around Fernandez and Stanton. With revenue sharing, the small market teams have more money. It is common for teams to extend players before they reach free agency. The days of small market teams being the farm systems for big market teams are over.
Here here!
Monster contract!
The Miami Stantons
Honestly this is a good move for the Marlins barring he stays healthy. Factor in his production, athletic frame, personality, five tools and inflation and this deal surprisingly makes sense. Don’t be fooled by the steep price as this deal sets a precedent in a way. $30 MM a year won’t be shocking in 5-10 years for all-star calibre players like Trout. So many teams would kill for a cornerstone player like Stanton that will contribute for years to come. Remember, the secret to winning championships does not necessarily mean all 25 need to be expensive, but worthy. Look at how the Rockies made the World Series, they built around Helton and impactful young pieces like Tulo as well as relatively cheap veterans. In the long run this is a deceivingly good move for the Marlins.
Raise your hand if you had the Miami Marlins being the first team to break the 300M contract barrier.
LOL. The last team you would expect.
Teams just won’t learn lol. They’re gonna regret it.
Worth it
In the beginning yes, still may end up as a regrettably bad contract, unless the Marlins get lucky and he opts out during years 4-6 depending on where they give him that first option.
This deal shows how desperate the Marlins are to give their fans hope and who better to sign then the best player in baseball.
would love to see him buy ownership in the team with that contract and buy out Loria
who stanton
It’s a reasonable contract, but a commitment like this would essentially obligate them to become a high-payroll team, even if they only end up paying luxury arbitration rates for elite, homegrown players (see- Nationals, Washington). They certainly haven’t stopped believing that veterans are better off shipped away than extended at the end of their service time- but they probably have a “generational talent” exception for that after losing Miguel Cabrera. Perhaps they see Stanton as like a Miguel Cabrera, Jr. and don’t want to feel as if they made the same mistake twice.
It would probably also have a ripple effect on a guy like Marcell Ozuna or Christian Yelich, who could perhaps see themselves finding a tougher road to a big extension before FA now that the Marlins will have so much money guaranteed to their outfield for such an extreme period of time. They would probably only double-down on the strategy around Stanton. To a degree, part of the price of buying Stanton off is his coming to terms with this fact, as well.
How long after the contract is signed before teams resume inquiring if he’s available via trade one wonders?
So how long till the Marlins trade him to Toronto for a bunch of prospects?
This contract will cripple the franchise for the next decade if they do this. No team can complete if one player takes up 25-50% of the payroll. Ask any team with a 200 mil players if they could have a do over and the majority would say yes. The majority of teams would probably like a do over on 100 mil contracts as well.
The Marlins did what they had to do to keep one of the best hitters in baseball in Miami. You can say this contract will “cripple the franchise,” but I’d argue losing Giancarlo would have done even more long-term damage to the organization.
I understand the need to save face but unless the marlins payroll jumps to over 100 mil Stanton will spend his career on a bottom dweller. Loria is still the owner right?
I honestly don’t get why Stanton would want to get locked in to 13 years of playing in Miami. But I respect him for sticking with them.
Answer: $$$$$$$$$$
No doubt. But plenty of teams would be willing to throw tons of cash at a young superstar like him.
Who are the Marlins bidding against? No one, since they own his options. I hope there is a ton of deferred money in this deal. Stanton is a great player, having the most raw power in the game since Mark McGwire. But this contract is simply ignoring realities of the Miami market. I wouldn’t have flinched if this had been an offer by the Dodgers or Yankees, but the inherent risk of putting this much money into one man for a small-market team is insane. Ask the Twins how signing Mauer worked out for them.
Does Loria plan to sell the team? That is the only endgame scenario I can see for this contract.
The number of seasons that Stanton has played more than 125 games: Two, 2011 and 2014.
I wonder if it’s the public funding that will pay that contract…
Good idea for Stanton to have an opt out clause incase Loria and the Marlins have a change of heart about their newfound “love for winning.”
If they didn’t make those contract dumps, you probably wouldn’t be seeing this extension.
You’d be watching a team crippled by unnecessary contracts.
I don’t like Loria, I think he’s two-faced and very deceitful. But unlike other GM’s who hang onto contracts for no good reason (Phillies, anyone?), he’s free from the dead-weight, because he blew it up and said let’s get on with it.
The rest of the NL East are having a huge belly laugh, because if he signs it will be impossible for the Marlins to compete until after 2019 when Stanton opts out.
Theres no winning with the public for the Marlins FO and rightfully so but they can’t just keep high level talents without paying up and they can’t trade them cause they won’t seem serious about being competitive… this decision is a lot more admirable and I’m thinking the marlins are sitting on a lot more cash than people expect, I don’t think they will have to let go of all other players once they get to their free agency years. Sucks that everyone knows Fernandez won’t be re-signing but regardless it wouldn’t have worked out and I think this was the best case scenario for the marlins and for their fans, not so much for Stanton but whatever floats his boat
This says it all
“It’s an understatement to say the baseball world has been skeptical about the Miami Marlins’ ability to sign their All-Star right fielder to a long-term contract. People familiar with the situation say Giancarlo Stanton has seen enough dysfunction during his tenure with the team that his first preference would be to move on to a perennial contender once he becomes eligible for free agency in 2016 — if not sooner.”
“The latest news flash needs to be tempered with a dose of reality: Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria isn’t exactly awash in credibility and goodwill in South Florida, and it’s a legitimate question whether he can afford to pay Stanton that kind of money and field a representative team around him. The Marlins have ranked last in the National League in attendance in four of Stanton’s five big league seasons. Will Marlins Park suddenly become a “go-to” destination just because he’s making $30 million-plus a year?”
Somewhere, Mike Trout is smiling.
What’s Loria’s urgency, given that he has two years of (expensive) control left? If the Marlins become a contending team with their young talent, perhaps he sells the team or moves it to another city as soon as that “asset value” becomes clearer. It’s very arguable that a young, star-led club could be worth a great deal in a different market. Loria’s behavior over the years indicates someone who is indifferent about the sport, except for the cash-flow. Hard to fathom he’s suddenly changed and sentiment (including the sentiment to win) is important to him.
Baseball contracts are getting a little ridiculous and this one takes the cake! Absurd!!
talks will break down and he’ll get traded to Detroit for 4 worthless minor leaguers. It’s what the Marlins do best.
Such a huge risk considering the fact that he go hit in the face to end his season might have a huge mental impact on his swing. What if he is never the same? I’d trade him now for a huge package if I were the Marlins. Getting several young controllable players will always trump one player that takes up such a huge percentage of payroll.
Teams just aren’t learning that theses big contracts always end bad. Votto, pujols. Arod,…..
Yeah, and at least the Yankees, Angels, and even Reds for that matter have better capabilities of absorbing those deals. The Marlins though, wow, this could be bad.
Where are the Marlins getting this kind of money?! How a small market team can allocate 1/3 of its payroll and contend is beyond me.
Wow……. just speechless