On the heels of an embarrassing 98-loss campaign, the San Francisco Giants aren't messing around, as the club has reportedly made a trade offer to the Miami Marlins for star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, major-league sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The Giants aren't the only club pursuing the newly crowned National League MVP, though, as the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals are both expected to - or already did - make trade offers for Stanton, and other teams have told Marlins they'll make proposals, too.
"I know what I want to do. I need to know what you can do," Marlins general manager Michael Hill said in describing his approach to Stanton trade talks. "Until I know where you’re at on the contract, the money, all that stuff, I can't engage."
Though the Giants are reportedly willing to absorb a considerable amount of Stanton's contract (he's owed $295 million over the next 10 years), luxury-tax concerns may force the club to unload one of their high-priced veterans in the process, be it to the Marlins or a potential third team. Any deal for Stanton, moreover, would require his new club to send both financial relief and prospect capital to Miami.
Earlier this week, Derek Jeter, the Marlins' new CEO and partial owner, made clear his desire to cut payroll this winter with his club in dire financial straits, but stressed a Stanton trade is no foregone conclusion.
"It's easy to point the finger at him because he makes the most money," Jeter said, per James Wagner of the New York Times. "But that doesn’t necessarily mean that's the move that’s going to be made."
On Thursday, Stanton became the first player in Marlins history to win NL MVP, narrowly beating out Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds on the back of a historic 59-homer campaign. Over 159 games in 2017, Stanton, a four-time All-Star, also managed a career-best 1.007 OPS while notching 132 runs batted in, 85 walks, and 32 doubles in addition to his 59 home runs.
