MLB Trade Rumors: Giants reportedly meeting with Giancarlo Stanton's reps
Are Marlins-Giants trade talks in the final stages?
By
Dayn Perry
•
1 min read
The Giants might be getting to the next level in their efforts to trade for Marlins slugger and NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton. Earlier on Thursday, we learned that the Marlins were reportedly prepared to accept the Giants' offer of Joe Panik, Tyler Beede and Chris Shaw if San Francisco assumes the vast majority of the $295 million left on Stanton's contract.
Of course, Stanton has a full no-trade clause, which means he must be persuaded to approve a trade to the Giants. On that front ...
Source confirms to The Athletic: #SFGiants executives in Los Angeles to meet with Stanton’s representatives, as first reported by @CraigMish. Unclear whether deal is in place. Stanton’s approval would be necessary; he has full no-trade clause.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 1, 2017
Obviously, if the Giants are speaking directly to Stanton's camp, then they're doing so with the Marlins' blessing. That implication there is that these talks are reaching the final stages. Stanton of course has a stated preference to play on the West Coast, and he also wants to play for a contender. The Giants obviously meet the first criterion, but they're coming off a 98-loss season in 2017. As well, they toil in a division that yielded three playoffs teams this year. What the Giants will likely point to is a full season from Madison Bumgarner, likely improvement from a healthy Mark Melancon, underlying indicators that said they were a bit better than their record, and, of course, the extent to which Stanton himself would move the needle.
For some time, it's been reported that Stanton prefers to play for the Dodgers. However, the Dodgers have luxury-tax concerns, especially since penalties under the new collective bargaining agreement are stiffer than in the past. That perhaps leaves the Giants as his last best option when it comes to playing in the Pacific time zone. By the looks of it, the Giants and Marlins are perhaps in agreement on the parameters of a deal, and what's left is the essential matter of persuading Stanton to sign off on the trade. If he does, then one of the biggest trades in recent history will likely go down.
