Stanton Trade Talks Beginning To Heat Up As Winter Meetings Draw Closer
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Major League Baseball's annual winter meetings are coming up in a few short weeks which means the rumor mill is beginning to spin faster and faster.
Miami Marlins outfielder and newly minted National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton is the biggest name being floated around, with expectations that he'll more than likely begin next season wearing a new uniform.
The Marlins are under new ownership for the first time in 15 years and the powers that be, led by Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman, are looking for ways to save money.
Naturally, getting rid of the player with the biggest contract (not just on the team, but the biggest contract in all of professional sports) would provide a quick and simple solution.
Last week reports surfaced that the San Francisco Giants had made an offer to the Marlins for Stanton, and on Sunday we saw a new report that the St. Louis Cardinals had done the same.
While details on the offer from St. Louis are limited, SiriusXM's Craig Mish is reporting that hard-throwing righty Sandy Alcantara is among a group of prospects included.
As for the talks between the Marlins and Giants, some of the names being thrown around are fairly interesting.
Per the report, San Francisco has offered infielder Joe Panik and a pair of highly-touted prospects, right-handed pitcher Tyler Beede and outfielder Chris Shaw while Miami also included infielder Dee Gordon in the discussion.
Shaw is ranked at the Gaints No. 2 prospect and Beede is right behind him at No. 3, though San Francisco's farm system as a whole is considered one of the worst in baseball (though not quite as bad as the Marlins').
Stanton's contract, which runs through the year 2028, has $295 million that is yet to be paid while Gordon's deal has three years and $37.9 million remaining on it.
That would be a significant salary dump for the sudden cost-conscious Marlins.
The 2017 Baseball Winter Meetings take place from December 10-14 at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando.