With new ownership at the helm for the Miami Marlins, many executives around the league expect superstar Giancarlo Stanton to find a new home this offseason. Among the teams being speculated to make a play for the slugger include the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox.
A Panorama City, Calif. native, the Dodgers would be a natural fit for Stanton because of his geographical ties alone. The soon-to-be 28-year old grew up rooting for the team and frequently attended games at Dodger Stadium as a child.
Stanton recently appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show and discussed a variety of topics, including his current situation with the Marlins, the World Series, and the possibility of joining the Dodgers.
Stanton is coming off his best season yet, where he led the Majors in home runs (59), RBI (132) and slugging percentage (.631). He clubbed 18 homers during the month of August and additionally accumulated 7.6 WAR on the year, per Baseball-Reference’s calculations.
Putting together a trade for Stanton, however, remains easier said than done. At the conclusion of 2014, Stanton signed a record-setting 13-year, $325 million contract with the Marlins — the largest contract in professional sports history.
He’s owed $285 million through the 2027 season, and that doesn’t include a $25 million option (or $10 million buyout) in 2028.
Any team that acquires Stanton would presumably have to take on a significant portion of that deal, not to mention yielding multiple top prospects that the Marlins will undoubtedly seek.
Whether Stanton potentially gets dealt this offseason remains to be seen, but at the very least, there figures to be plenty of rumors in the weeks ahead.
