The Giancarlo Stanton rumor mill was churning yesterday as teams jockey for position with the Marlins — and, perhaps, with Stanton himself, who can veto any trade. At the end of the day, though, it seemed there was no greater clarity as to where he might be dealt and when a trade might go down.
We’ll use this post to track any new developments today …
- MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reports that teams that have spoken to the Marlins have informed them that they feel the 10 years and $295MM on Stanton’s deal is a rough approximation of his market value (all Twitter links). In other words, other clubs don’t perceive there to be much, if any, surplus value on Stanton’s deal. As such, the Marlins will have to pay down a notable portion of the deal to also extract premium prospects from a potential trade partner. One exec suggested that Miami would need to pay as much as $5MM annually in order to receive good prospect value. Morosi notes that the Cardinals and Marlins once again discussed trade concepts today.
- The Marlins initiated a brief conversation with the Yankees regarding Stanton, writes FanRag’s Jon Heyman. The Yankees aren’t considered a serious suitor, though, and the Yankees simply said they’d be open to hearing what the Marlins had in mind, perhaps as a matter of sheer due diligence. Both Yankees GM Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner have publicly stated a desire to dip under the $197MM luxury tax barrier, and Stanton’s $25MM annual salary would obviously get in the way of that goal.
Earlier Updates
- Marlins CEO Derek Jeter says he has not yet spoken with Stanton, as Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald was among those to report on Twitter. “If there’s a reason to call him, I’ll call him,” said Jeter. The new Marlins boss did not commit to dealing Stanton and noted that such a move would be complicated, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. But Jeter also suggested that the team cannot continue operating in the same manner financially as it did under prior ownership.
- Of course, president of baseball operations Michael Hill sat down with Stanton and says he has a sense of what the slugger is interested in. He’s also running point on Stanton talks with other teams. Hill tells Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that he is putting the onus on suitors to come forward with some information on what they are willing to do to land Stanton. “Until I know where you’re at on the contract, the money, all that stuff, I can’t engage,” Hill said of his rival executives.
- Rosenthal said that eight teams had engaged on Stanton to this point. Six of those are fairly serious pursuers, according to a report from Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
- There’s “little momentum” regarding Stanton between the Dodgers and Marlins, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports on Twitter. Of course, the most notable point at this stage seems to be that the Dodgers are involved at all. Los Angeles seems like a solid fit for Stanton, though it’s also not difficult to imagine the organization preferring not to tie up such a significant portion of its payroll in one contract.
- John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle ran down the latest on Stanton from the Giants’ perspective. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch did the same with regard to the Cardinals. And WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford explained why he still thinks the Red Sox could be in Stanton (or another superstar hitter) despite some indications to the contrary.
Methinks Stanton is a solid candidate for this hot stove season’s coveted “Tanaka Award…”
Speaking of solid fits, wouldn’t Giant Carlo figure to be an upgrade in any outfield and lineup? The only obvious reason to talk about the Dodgers as being any more of a solid fit than any other team is their financial resources, and I suppose the ability to send them a valuable prospect if Miami is prepared to eat a significant piece of Stanton’s salary.
And Stanton’s reported preference to play on a coast…
That was the strangest player preference I’ve seen expressed in awhile. He needs to play near salt water? Too bad they don’t have a team in Utah!
He’s probably claustrophobic and doesn’t want to be land locked
Yeah, NO idea why that request was made. Maybe he just loves the beach on days off?
He is from LA.
Well, the Angels are a possibility. When they demote him, Salt Lake is still a fit.
Coasts = bigger, more metropolitan cities. I don’t think it’s that bizzare of a request, and I’m confident I’ve heard it before.
So Oakland, Tampa Bay, Seattle, and Baltimore would be okay, but Chicago and Detroit are out of the question? Pretty sure I haven’t seen that criterion before.
If dumping a few tubs of salt into the Mississippi River is what it takes to get Stanton to play in STL then ill do it.
Careful, you might be found guilty of assault.
I think “preference for a coast” is not meant to be taken literally, and is shorthand used to refer to major cities along the west and east coast (e.g., LA, SF, NY, BOS, PHI). At least that’s how I interpret it whenever I see that phrase.
I’m kind of surprised you and others haven’t seen that phrase being used before. I’ll try to dig up other instances.
Coast of Gulf of Mexico, Lake Michigan, Mississippi or Ohio Rivers?
Living in one of the above mentioned coastal cities, whenever anyone says a “coast” that is also how I’ve taken it.
Not really, if you have ever been to the west coast I would take it any day over Boston or most other places.
It’s fairly common for a player to want to play on one of the “coasts.” Although there are other cities, that generally means LA or NY.
I wouldn’t wanna live in middle america either after growing up in SF. Its just not a culture that fits me, but I wouldn’t enjoy LA either.
Maybe he likes port cities and the diversities of people and food that comes with that.
Noticing that none of these silly theories are any more plausible than my silly theory. Only difference is my theory was meant to be silly.
Your honor, I rest my case.
My grandpa was born and raised in LA. My grandma in SF.
They lived for nearly 70 years in California, Arizona, and Idaho. They moved to Nebraska about 20 years ago and found it to be the most peaceful, laid back area of the country they’ve ever lived.
That said, I don’t know what kind of things Giancarlo Stanton values. But I know many folks who moved to the midwest from either coast and find it quite refreshing.
This isn’t news it’s the same crap from other days
You better write Jeff Todd for a refund, then.
You can always go elsewhere for your free news updates.
Humph! I wanted to be the grumpy internet user.
You sure that was the correct link for the St. Louis article?
It briefly mentioned Stanton, but was more an article about Dexter Fowler.
It feels like Jeter is going to be a terrible baseball executive. He hasn’t even talked to his star player yet? He obviously has reason to call him to inform him of his planned direction of the franchise since that direction directly relies on what they do with Stanton. Between this and how he handled the firing of Jeff Conine and co. he really is leaving much to be desired.
I get a Michael Jordan vibe from Jeter
So like Jerry Stackhouse for Richard Hamilton but in this case Stanton for koji uehera ( or someone like that. ) uehera is a Free Agent but you get the point.
Totally agree with this, and with traverave. He could absolutely prove me wrong, but I’m not yet sure he knows what he’s doing.
I don’t know if he hasn’t spoken to him AT ALL or if he just hasn’t discussed the trading scenario since the offseason started.
What are your credentials? “It feels like” you wouldn’t be fun to be around.
Oh man that is really great comment that adds a lot to this discussion about the credentials of a MLB team owner. You must be fun to be around. Care to teach me how to be fun?
Jeter has no choice but to be hard-nosed as an exec… Obviously he’s being that way to Stanton because the goal is to trade him… it’s a business and… What he inherited is a mess. No question about it and the Marlins based on there market, can only afford to have a limited payroll. Very questionable decisions under loria… that’s why he has to do things to get the ship going in the right direction, both on the field, and on the financial end of it. The contracts given to Dee Gordon, Prado, Chen and Tazawa, specifically, were a bit preposterous given Stanton’s deal on the ledger.. Those four guys combined will be making 42 million next season. Only Gordon was productive but Derek Dietrich would’ve also been a good every day option. Or J.T. riddle (while keeping Hechavarria). Without those contracts, we would be able to keep Stanton and supplement weaknesses of the team were needed headed into 2018. In the case of the 2017 team, it was pitching. Losing Fernandez was a huge blow, but if Miami had two more starters last year, they would’ve likely secured a wild card spot given the offense they had.
It adds to your point I think, to remember that Jeter more bought-into a mess than inherited it. They had PLENTY of chances to go over the books before money changed hands. The ownership group, in my opinion, MUST have had a plan in mind to make the Marlins profitable, knowing in advance that some decisions would be difficult and unpopular. If they stay the course, it’ll be interesting to see how well it works and how long it takes.
He didn’t inherit nothing. He bought into this team. Now he needs to be accountable with his players so far I don’t get the impression he cares about them. His only concern is to lower payroll. Not good for him so far.
I believe that every team can afford a 150 million dollar payroll with the revenue sharing dollars and mlb tv contract bucks that each team gets. The fact that Jeter is trying to move Stanton is to put money into his and the other owners pockets.
I felt Loria was the worst owner in professional sports, and Jeter feels like a Jordon like executive as mentioned above. There is a reason why you don’t see ex-great players successfully running teams.
I think this is just going to be more of the same for Marlins fans. Owners going to cry poverty while trying to stuff money into their pockets
You do realize that these guys borrowed money to pay for this team right? They most certainly have the right to set payroll at a level that affords them to not run in the red.
You might call that profit but let me ask you this? Would you invest your hard earned money into a venture with the expectation of a return on that money or are you cool with losing that money?
While I agree most trams have the resources to carry a 125 to 150 million dollar payroll the Marlins have been a disaster for years under Loria. It makes little sense and is naive to expect a brand new ownership group to have the franchise in perfect working order within week of taking over.
Part of the mess he inherited is the lowest TV contract in baseball and no ballpark naming rights having been sold.
Next season the ballpark naming rights issue will be resolved adding $8-10 million per year to the revenue stream and in 2020 the TV contract will be renegotiated adding $80-100 million per year to the coffers.
So, by 2021 the Marlins will not have the financial constraints they do today and a $150 million plus payroll will not be an issue. It’s only 2018 and maybe 2019 that are a problem.
Trading Prado, Gordon, and a couple of other players not named Stanton could solve their payroll problems.
If Jeter is determined to remove Stanton’s contract then there isn’t much need to worry about having a talk with him. Plus I’m so over this idea that players need to be involved in offseason plans. You’re a ball player.. You show up for spring training and do your job.
There’s a misunderstanding what Derek Jeter’s job is. He’s the CEO. He isn’t a baseball executive. He doesn’t work in baseball operations. It’s right there on the team website. I doubt Stan Kasten or Sam Kennedy talks to the players
Michael Hill is President, Baseball Operations and he should be the one talking to anyone about baseball decisions. If Jeter were going around him, he’s undermining his authority and might as well just fire him.
Jeter isn’t your typical CEO though. He’s the face of that ownership AND an actual professional baseball player. To say that he wouldn’t be at least involved in some baseball operations discussions would be naive.
I know that in a smoothly running company the CEO or chairman should have minimal involvement in the details of baseball operations. The CEO should set a payroll budget and consulting on the big picture.
I have no idea what baseball operations Jeter is involved in any more than I do what baseball operations Sam Kennedy, Stan Kasten, or Tom Ricketts are involved in. Perhaps, as you believe, they do get involved in baseball operations. People often assume the owner is more involved in baseball operations than he should be.
Do Lerner make deals with Boras overruling the baseball people? Is Angelos nixing trades due to medicals? Did Moreno order the Pujols signing?
Jeter is getting criticized for the opposite. Jeter, as the team CEO, shouldn’t be speaking to Stanton. I know the Marlins have been a poorly run organization in the past, but Jeter should be given credit if he isn’t undermining Michael Hill.
If any one from the team talks to Stanton, it should be when a trade is worked out, not before. Stanton has made it clear that he doesn’t want to be in a rebuild. (Can anyone tell me if he told the team before or after he told the press, or if he spoke with them at all?) Jeter should only be obligated to achieving the teams goals. The time to have talks between Stanton and the new ownership about direction should taken place right after the new owners took over (and probably did). So until there is need for a yes or no from Stanton, what more is there to talk about?
If any one from the team talks to Stanton, it should be when a trade is worked out, not before. Stanton has made it clear that he doesn’t want to be in a rebuild. (Can anyone tell me if he told the team before or after he told the press, or if he spoke with them at all?) Jeter should only be obligated to achieving the teams goals. The time to have talks between Stanton and the new ownership about direction should taken place right after the new owners took over (and probably did). So until there is need for a yes or no from Stanton, what more is there to talk about?
Most GMs are just like Jeter, they don’t give you much.
Jeter was demoted to GM? I thought he was CEO.
Your opinion though obviously salty still won’t effect his success or failur!!!
*failure
The Phillies are taking a backseat, letting everything swirl around. Once the smoke clears and Klentek actually has an idea of what the Marlins asking price is, the Phillies will emerge as the dark horse. I’ll explain why…rumors are the Phillies are waiting for Harper or Machado for next years FA, but I think The front office feels like The Yankees will outbid everyone for Harper, or Machado as well as every other team. Getting a guy like Stanton now (for 150-200 million cheaper) when and while only a handful of teams have the payroll to do so, puts them in a much better situation to “get a game changer”. At first I was against Stanton, but the more I think about it the more I realize its the best option for a quicker rebuild
Except your biggest assumption is that Stanton wants to go there…
Stanton never mentioned the Phillies as a team he would not play for. In June/July he mentioned he didn’t want to be part of a rebuild, but Stanton player his entire career in NL east, and I think he’s comfortable here. Plus the Phillies are not in early stages in rebuild anymore and he knows we have the financial support to turn into a contender quicker than most teams. Besides what better way to stick it to the Marlins by staying in the division
Why would the Marlins want to trade to a division rival?
Agree the Phillies aren’t in rebuild mode anymore. But, the team vastly under-performed in 2017. If Stanton wants to go to a contender, the unanswered questions about how good the Phillies will or won’t be could make him decide to veto a trade there.
Stanton isn’t the final piece to the Phillies puzzle right now anyway. They need to add him plus 2 very good arms in order to be a playoff team in the next 2 years. That rotation isn’t very good outside of Nola and eickhoff has a solid arm. VV and Neris could be a nice late inning combo but you still need to see what JPC can do with the bat, is nick Williams or Aaron altherrr going to be a quality regular etc first
Dodgers should and proly will wait on Harper.. That would be an excellent fit for both..
He also said he wants to go to a place where he can win now. Phillies… Out
He might hit 80 HRs in that bandbox
In Philadelphia.
I like how every day there is a Stanton “update” but it pretty much just says the same thing over and over again.
Put on your seatbelt because it’s going to drag on awhile. Especially considering the fact that the marlins aren’t being specific with what their asking price is. I can see this dragging on until mid December/Xmas time
Yeah I don’t get it either since there is no new info but it’s not going to stop me from looking. Hopefully he gets traded real soon.
If the BoSox eventually “could be in Stanton” as this article implies, that would easily be the top story of the offseason.
ha, nice catch. Sounds painful.
Lol no kidding
I feel like this is just a re-up topic with no new information just to keep people interested. Stanton obviously is on the trade block but the asking return is insanely high. Jeter wants to drop a big contract and start fresh with younger talent. LA can afford his contract but he’s not a FA. Unless they are willing to unload Verdugo and Buehler I doubt there will be a trade. To Boston makes more sense. Especially since the fans and press, the people that make the decisions, demand a replacement for Ortiz (Obviously never watched Moneyball or understand that you CAN NOT REPLACE LEGENDS!!!) and are indifferent about Bradley Jr. (JBJ). They’d be wise to go after Martinez and Morrison since they already have giant contracts with their current roster alone. Not to mention who they owe outside of the roster. But again, being wise and a Bostonian fan are two different things. (Sorry guys but since you didn’t learn with the Crawford, Gonzalez, Sandoval, Ramirez, Price, etc. contracts, I lost all hope that you care more about improving rather than winning.) So, I think he’s going to head to Boston with a 3-4 player trade and incentives. That is, if STL doesn’t snatch him first. I doubt SF could get him unless they suddenly have players in their farm that broke out last year. MIA is going to demand starting pitching and an outfielder with promise in return. STL, Bos and LA have that but I think it’s going to depend on STL or BOS.
If marlins eat say 90 million, they can have verdugo, Puig and Jordan Sheffield. Stanton at 200 million is well worth it in my eyes as J.D. Martinez wants the same price and isn’t as good and older.
No way they eat a third of the contract. For that price you would have to throw in buehler and Alvarez. They want top prospects and full financial relief, so if you want them to pick up that much of the deal, you need to give up all of your top prospects.
I think I’m going to find some joy in Jeter, former Yankee rich player turned baseball team owner, taking about how Marlins players need to stay on budget. There will be some irony rich moments.
Maybe. Or is he exactly the player you want talking about those things? He was the face of the Yankees his entire career. He can talk about loyalty over money and not look like a hypocrite.
Guys like @cosmic have a “JONES” for Jeter on this article and past articles no matter what is reported. Why do they come across so insecure and miserable?
Come on Matt Klentek make this happen. Fill the bank seats again! Trade for Stanton, sign Arrieta and Cobb. Trade Hernandez and Galvis for Bullpen relief. You’ll turn the payroll up from 63 to about 125–30. We will be good enough to get into the playoff AND still have room for the 2018 FA or to plan ahead for a guy like trout
Matt Klentak isn’t bringing in Stanton or Arrieta. Andy MacPhail is cautious and the team isn’t acquiring or signing contracts they believe will result in years of dead money. The Montgomery/Amaro era is over.
I still don’t think they make playoffs with that roster next year, especially with the Nats being in the division.
Don’t kid yourself, Boston is in on the Stanton deal. Their offer is to take the full contract of $325M (with $295M remaining), with the added caveat of Miami receiving Rusney Castillo, who is owed $31M for 2018-20, plus 3 annual payments of $5M to offset Castillo’s $10+M annual salary. Miami ends up shedding $280M in payroll and Boston gets to shell out $20+M for Stanton’s services for the next three years. If he performs as billed for 2018-20, the Red Sox will retain Giancarlo on their roster for most if not all of the remaining seven years of his 13-year contract. If the eventual deal ends up being different from the aforementioned, it will result from negotiations involving Miami cash and additional players, probably prospects, from both teams. The core of the buyout is spelled out herein however.
I Respectfully disagree with you. Middleton Already stated that he wants a winning team on the field and at the end of the day he’s the one who signs the checks. He’s the man behind the curtain “the wizard of oz”.. All this nonsense macphail mentioned a few months ago about putting more money into the ballpark rather the team..do you really buy into that? It’s a decoy! It’s to downplay thier involvement in FA. There smart enough to realize that if they want to contend they have to strike while the irons hot. They see an open window they have to take it. Look…295 million is a lot better than 500 million for Harper. They need that extra 200 million to throw into trouts 700 million haha
Under Dave Montgomery the team spent and spent and spent some more. Middleton was certain Cliff Lee would help them win several more titles. When the team didn’t win, Montgomery told the owners that they’d win if he signed A.J. Burnett then Marlon Byrd.
They didn’t win and Montgomery “retired.” MacPhail was hired because he takes a very cautious approach to spending. Look at the Orioles when he ran them. In the 2 years MacPhail has been in charge they haven’t signed a veteran free agent to more than a one year deal or brought in an outside player with more than a year on his contract.
Yes, I buy “all this nonsense” because MacPhail said he’d run the team with caution and he’s done it exactly the way he said he would. That’s his “process.” He’s not going to stop being cautious now. They say they don’t see Stanton as a good fit for them. They don’t reveal much but if they do they do what they say they will. Sorry.
He also said he wants to go to a place where he can win now. Phillies… Out
This is how I hope this off season will go. Giants trade Belt to BOS for JBJ straight up. Redsox can then put Betts or Benintendi in CF and sign JD Martinez to play left. Giants call Marlins and offer a package of Beede, Andrew Suarez and Heliot Ramos, along with taking on the entirety of Stanton’s contract. Giants sign someone like Bryan Shaw, resign Hundley, and give the young guys playing time, call it good. Getting rid of Belt’s contract, along with Pence’s and possibly Span’s contract coming off the books after this next season, will give the Giants some much needed payroll relief. Hopefully, Duggar will eventually take a spot in outfield, and JBJ can either stay in CF or move to LF. But for now, the lineup could look something like:
1. CF- Jackie Bradley Jr.
2. LF- Span/Pence
3. C – Posey
4. RF- Stanton
5. SS – Crawford
6. 3B- Arroyo/ Pablo
7. 2B- Panik
8. 1B -Chris Shaw
Hitting is contagious, and having a power hitter like Giancarlo to feed off of, will not only affect the younger guys, but the vets as well. As far the pitching staff goes, all it should take is adding someone like Morrow, or more preferably Bryan Shaw, and giving Garrett Williams a legit shot.
That will be the key — taking all of Stanton’s contract. I have to wonder if Chris Stratton (and/or Ty Bl;ach?) would have to go too to make the deal work. Chris Shaw by the way is not a first baseman. He is an outfielder who they tried at first base. From what I read, he did not do that well there.. Eventually he will be in LF. It makes trading Belt problematic. Giants don’t have anybody else save for Sandavol who could play 1st.
Lol
How about Stanton to SEA for Kyle Seager?
So trade the probable MVP for an overrated 3B? The marlins want prospects, and the mariners don’t have money for him anyways
Welcome to Boston Stanton !!!
Just saying
For the money JD wants Stanton is ano brainer
But it’s not because there is more involved than money. What is the value of the players & prospects would have to give up. If it’s at ML level like Devers or Benintendi, then Sox will have to replace that production. Both are cheap so there is loss in value there.
If Stanton opts out after 3 years, then you risk trading away some cheap and potentially extremely productive assets and be left with nothing in 2021.
I also doubt JD will get the $200M contract. No free agent OF has ever eclipsed $200M. Although the Heyward contract is a thorn in the side of hoping JD will come cheaper. For the record, highest contracts to free agent OFs.
$184M Heyward
$160M Manny Ramirez
$160M Matt Kemp (I think he was a free agent)
$153M Ellsbury
$142M Crawford
$130M Choo
The opt-out makes a trade a really weird scenario.
On one hand, yes, if he opts out after 2020, you gave up a great haul for 3 years. BUT, how often do teams give up a sizable haul for 3 years? We see bigger returns for rentals. 3 years of Stanton is probably worth the price.
On the other hand, if he doesn’t opt out, that’s $218+MM remaining.
I’d be much more concerned about the prospect of him NOT opting out than I’d be concerned about giving a massive return for 3 years of Stanton.
I forget..is it allowed for a trade to include a clause saying Marlins pay nothing for the next 3 years but pay X amount of his salary per year for years 4 – 10 if he doesn’t opt out?
I don’t think there is a rule against it, so the teams would just have to include it in the deal.
Once Stanton sees the Dodgers are in on him, he will tell them that is where he wants to go!
Yep. Once I saw that, I thought you could forget about everyone else. Also knowing that the Dodgers are Stanton’s first choice (most likely), they can leverage the Marlins for a better deal.
The Dodgers aren’t in on him. It’s reported that there’s “little momentum” to make a deal. Look at the contracts Friedman and Zahdi have given to free agents and the contracts they’ve traded for. Kanley Jansen’s $80 million deal was the largest. This isn’t a contract that Friedman wants.
In fairness, nobody is really in on Stanton yet. All the interest is nothing more than idle speculation.
Yea but the marlins can say no also…
What Stanton doesn’t know is that if he goes to the dodgers he will not be a star because their is Cody Bellinger but if he goes to the cardinals he will be a celebrity and star
Along with Seager and a little known guy named Kershaw…
Are u serious? Lol. LA knows who the stars are and Giancarlo would be an immediate fan favorite
No doubt. Stanton is one of the few human beings to ever hit one over the pavilion roof.
I don’t think so cards finished second in attendance and have no good star if they had a star then u would see jerseys that say Stanton all over the place
If it was all about being THE star he could just stay in Miami.
I bet all 12 fans love watching him play.
A recommendation for the Cardinal’s front office: link to books.google.com
Stanton and Gordon to angels, makes too much sense.
The Angels have one of the worst farm systems in baseball. And they need pitching way more.
Angels can’t afford that. They have trout, Pujols, and upton on the books. They can’t afford to pay over 90 million to just those 4 guys. Then add on 15 million for Gordon, and all of there money is pretty much tied up. They need pitching instead. None of there starters can ever stay healthy
For Trout..
Unless your town has a bevy of supermodels, he’s not waiving his no trade to go there.
Stanton for Puig (to offset the salaries a bit) and a few nothing prospects to make it look a bit better at first to Marlins fans.
“Pay as much as $5MM annually”?
“As much” meaning “at most” they’ll pay $5MM yearly?!?
If that’s all the Marlins have to pay in order to “receive good prospect value”, he’ll be gone by next week.
I was under the assumption they’d be paying half or more of his contract and receive garbage in return (and LIKE it) since they want to dump his contract so badly.
“I was under the assumption they’d be paying half or more of his contract…”
Where have you been? When the Marlins let it be known that Stanton was available it was written that they wanted the acquiring team to take on the entire contract. Since then they’ve indicated they’d pay up to $5m annually. At no time was it implied they’d pay anything close to half.
And if the Marlins were willing to eat half, every team in baseball would be lining up offers.
You would be paying about 15 million a year for the best power hitter in the league. Chapman makes more then that. Some people are so off base in their comments
I’m sure there’s a handful of teams Stanton won’t go to no matter what, but I gotta think the list of teams he won’t go to will shrink when he starts seeing teammates get traded.
Please enough with the Puig to Marlins suggestions. Remember the stories about Mattingly and Puig clashes in LA? Mattingly is still the Marlins manager.
If the Marlins are looking for a team to unload all of the salary, I would imagine the Red Sox would be the best fitting situation to facilitate that, the return will certainly be prospects back in that case, low level prospects. If they are willing to eat some of the money, the return will be more in on field talent.
Including Ellsbury in a deal for Stanton solves the Yankees tax problem and is about the amount of money Miami would need to eat to get a good haul of prospects.
Ellsbury will be hard to move but Cashman has other moves that make a trade like this possible. It would be easier to move Gardner to another team like the Giants or Nats. for prospects, move Warren for prospects, and trade for Stanton. Yanks could give the Marlins a good package of 3 of Sheffield, Estrada, Frazier, Solek, and Acevedo.
I’m not sure why the astros wouldn’t be more interested. They have the prospects, and his opt out clause goes perfect with the timing for them needing to resign their youngsters. Once verlander comes off the books in 2 years, they use that 20+million to resign altuve, and if Stanton opts out, they can then resign springer. If he doesn’t opt out, you lose springer and probably Correa, but you would have 3 or 4 years of being the dominant, team to beat in the league. Besides, imagine Stanton’s power with the Crawford boxes. 60+ homeruns in that Park with that lineup.
link to fangraphs.com
Looks very similar to what I said a few days ago with charts added.