Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins not discussing contract extension

Stanton, 24, came to terms with the club on a one-year, $6.5 million deal to avoid the arbitration panel, but the two sides haven’t begun negotiating a contract extension that would keep Stanton in Miami beyond 2016 -- his last year of arbitration eligibility.

Despite the Marlins’ status as a “file and trial” team, they were able to come to terms with Stanton before Friday’s deadline, avoiding the arbitration panel in the process. Stanton’s agent, Joe Wolfe of the Wasserman Media Group, said Stanton is “pleased with the result and [is] looking forward to spring training.”

The Marlins have expressed interest in extending Stanton in the past, but if they are unable to come to an agreement, a trade could become their best option as he gets closer to free agency. The team has said it does not intend to pursue that option.

Stanton’s on-field contributions would make an extension -- or a trade -- an elaborate undertaking. He’s already hit 117 home runs in less than 500 career games. If he continues clearing the fences at a similar rate, he could become just the 16th player in Major League history to hit 200 homers before turning 26.

Homers aren’t everything, but when it comes to arbitration cases or hammering out the details of a contract extension, matching the longball tempo of players like Jimmie Foxx and Mickey Mantle will probably go a long way toward making Stanton one of the league’s most well-compensated players.

For the time being, Stanton and the Marlins will operate on a “year-to-year basis.”

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