We’re just about one week into Major League Baseball’s offseason and Giancarlo Stanton is still a member of the Miami Marlins.
Okay, I made that sound a tad dramatic considering there isn’t necessarily much action along the trade market this early in the offseason. Though you should see a lot of wheeling and dealing come December during the winter meetings.
But there are teams that look like they’re preparing for a serious charge at the Marlins slugger already.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Monday that the St. Louis Cardinals are looking to add some big-time pop to their lineup:
“The Cardinals believe their best bet for a bat is via trade, and they’ll engage in talks with the Marlins about Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich as well as options yet to surface.”
Stanton is coming off one of the best power-hitting seasons in recent years, crushing 59 home runs in 159 games. Only five players have hit more in a single season.
But the 27-year-old, who turns 28 on Wednesday, is playing under a massive 13-year, $325 million contract that hasn’t yielded much in terms of team success. The Marlins haven’t made the postseason since winning the World Series in 2003, seven years before Stanton made his MLB debut.
With a new ownership group headed by former Yankees legend Derek Jeter, the Marlins could be looking to shed that big contract and rebuild considering they haven’t had a winning percentage over .500 since 2009. One would have to figure Stanton could bring in a return that would help kickstart that rebuilding process. Though it would be a difficult ask for a team to take on that massive contract.
The Cardinals ranked 18th in the majors when it came to the long ball as they had just one player hit the 25 home-run mark in rookie shortstop Paul DeJong. Instead of relying on him and Matt Carpenter to provide the power, the Cardinals could make a huge splash and bring on one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball.
