The Miami Marlins new ownership group, led by Derek Jeter, has made it known that they would like the reduce their payroll moving forward, and because of that they have put the reigning National League MVP, Giancarlo Stanton, on the trade block.
Due to him having 10 years and $295 million remaining on his contract and the Marlins unwillingness to eat some of that salary, they have not yet found a deal with prospects that satisfy them, although many teams like the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants have reportedly shown interest.
The Cardinals and Giants have already submitted formal offers to Miami, with the Cardinals offering one of their top pitching prospects, Sandy Alcantara, among others, and the Giants offering second baseman Joe Panik and top prospects Tyler Beede and Chris Shaw for Stanton and Dee Gordon.
According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, one source is currently saying that the Giants are being considered the favorites to land Stanton, while the Cardinals are still in the mix:
Source says Marlins and Giants have had "deeper discussions" on a Giancarlo Stanton deal. Believes Giants are favorites to land the NL MVP, though Cardinals may still be a factor.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 21, 2017
The Dodgers are the true wildcard in this situation, as Stanton has a full no-trade clause, and growing up in Los Angeles as a Dodger fan, Stanton has expressed desire in playing for his hometown team.
Additionally, the Dodgers have both the prospects and money to get a deal done, although they have said on multiple occasions that they would like to get below the luxury tax threshold, so Miami would need to eat a significant portion of his contract for a deal to get done.
Perhaps hearing that the Giants, the Dodgers biggest division rivals, are making a big push to acquire the slugger may make the Dodgers front office more aggressive in their pursuit of Stanton in fear of possibly having to face him 19 times per season for the next 10 years.
But that remains to be seen as coming off a 104-win season and one win away from winning the World Series, the Dodgers may not feel the need to make a big move like that.
