While Jake Arrieta and Yu Darvish are intriguing free agents in their own right, the prize of the offseason appears to be Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. He remains under contract for up to 10 more seasons, but is believed to be on the trading block.
Aside from the more than $300 million remaining on his deal, Stanton’s wields a full no-trade clause. He reportedly is not willing to waive it to facilitate a trade with the Boston Red Sox or St. Louis Cardinals.
The Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants have also been among the teams with reported interest. It’s unclear if the four-time All-Star would grant consent to joining either club.
What’s generally assumed is Stanton, who hails from Southern California, would immediately accept a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
While his hometown team has largely remained absent from trade speculation, the Dodgers are involved to some extent in the Stanton sweepstakes, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com:
The Dodgers are indeed in the mix for Giancarlo Stanton, according to a source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 14, 2017
Whether trading Stanton to the Dodgers or another team, the Marlins presumably would be asked to assume responsibility for a notable portion of his remaining deal. Stanton can opt out of the 13-year contract after the 2020 season.
However, that would require him to leave a guaranteed $218 million on the table as a 31-year-old.
Stanton is coming off a career season in which he hit .281/.376/.631 with 32 doubles, 59 home runs, 132 RBI and a 165 OPS+. He led the Majors in home runs and RBI, earning a Hank Aaron Award as the top offensive player in the National League, and a Silver Slugger.
