Marlins' Asking Price For Giancarlo Stanton 'Shockingly High'
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Miami Marlins reportedly want a lot for superstar slugger Giancarlo Stanton.
Shocking news indeed.
According to ESPN's Buster Olney, rival executives are viewing Miami's asking price for Stanton as "shockingly high" and "somewhat out of touch with reality," as though they didn't expect to give up a king's ransom for a 28-year-old star who just mashed an MLB-leading 59 homers.
The GM meetings just got underway in Orlando, so Miami is likely floating it out there that if you want Stanton, get ready to pay dearly. And they're not only talking about the $295 million the slugger is owed over the next decade.
That monster contract is what has these rival executives hung up at the current asking price. Though Stanton has player options for the 2021 season and beyond, he probably won't be opting out of a deal that will pay him boatloads of money until he's 38 years old (he'll make $25 million in the final year of the contract, with a club option for the 2028 season).
But even with the asking price through the roof, there should be no shortage of suitors for Stanton if the frugal Marlins decide to move the face of their franchise. He led baseball with 132 RBIs and scored 123 runs of his own while hitting .281 last season. He has 267 homers over his eight seasons, the kind of power that many teams are desperate for this offseason. It's been reported that the Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Francisco Giants are among the teams interested in Stanton's services, and chances are one of them (*cough* Dave Dombrowski) will be willing to part with a plethora of prospects to plug his back bat in the heart of their order.
The Marlins may eventually come down off of their "shockingly high" demands for Stanton as the offseason draws on, but don't expect it to drop too much.
