On Monday, we explained that it was difficult to envision what a Giancarlo Stanton trade was going to look like, due to a number of conflicting factors that all merit consideration. On Tuesday, that point was magnified repeatedly any time Stanton’s name popped up in rumors.
Giancarlo Stanton trade rumors are getting more confusing
Wednesday’s Say Hey, Baseball looks at the increasingly perplexing Stanton trade market.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Buster Olney tweeted the Marlins’ asking price is being looked at as “shockingly high and somewhat out of touch with reality” given the $295 million still owed to Stanton over the next 11 years. Throw in that everyone knows the Marlins’ goal here is to cut their payroll in half, and trading away Stanton solves half of that issue at once, and it’s going to be difficult for the Marlins to continue to demand a high return for their star.
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And even if the Marlins do manage to work something out with the Red Sox or Cardinals, they might not be able to complete the deal, as there is a rumor floating around that Stanton would reject a trade to either club. Another story, in response to that first one, says Stanton hasn’t ruled any team out yet, and is planning on keeping an open mind. So, that’s one more contradiction, isn’t this fun?
Then we’ve got the Giants suddenly being considered one of the favorites for Stanton, even though their farm system is a wreck and they supposedly were not interested in adding much payroll this winter. However, they’ve also been attached to Stanton in trade rumors since they first started to gain traction over two months ago, so he might be the guy they’re willing to spend for.
The Dodgers seem like a real possibility for Stanton, except they want to be under the luxury tax at some point soon to help them reset in time for the next major free agent class in a year that features Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, and more. Maybe if they have Stanton, they won’t feel they need one of those players, but it’s too early to tell there, either.
This is unlikely to be solved in a timely fashion, so get ready for an offseason full of will they or won’t they, and to where?
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