Two months into his tenure as Miami Marlins CEO, Derek Jeter has yet to find a resolution on the Giancarlo Stanton trade front. As the offseason began, it quickly became apparent the Marlins new ownership group would look to shed Stanton’s salary.
He holds an opt-out clause after the 2020 season, but otherwise is owed $295 million over the next 10 years. Complicating any trade involving Stanton is his full no-trade clause.
It’s done little to temper interest, however, with the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals standing out as the most aggressive suitors. They with Stanton, and the Marlins reportedly reached agreements on trades with both teams.
A report indicated Staton could be traded prior to or within the first two days of the MLB Winter Meetings. With the annual event around the corner, Jeter denied the Marlins are close to trading their All-Star, via Marlins Hot Stove radio show:
“There is nothing to update. I think the best way to answer it is, listen, we will explore every option out there to make our organization better. There have been no decisions. We have not made many decisions whatsoever on the baseball side. So, we’re still gathering information. As soon as there’s something to share, I will be more than happy to share it. Anything up and to this point has been speculation. And one thing I’ve always tried to do is stay far away from speculation and rumors. There’s a lot of them out there, and if I addressed every single rumor that was out there, we’d constantly be talking.”
A general conclusion being drawn is Stanton remains hopeful the Los Angeles Dodgers will ultimately enter the fray. They reportedly are among the teams that have been in contact with Miami, but there’s been little traction to trade talks.
Should the Dodgers remain on the periphery, it’s believed Stanton would ultimately approve a trade to the Giants over the Cardinals. San Francisco reportedly offered the Marlins their top three prospects and are said to be willing to assume the majority, if not all, of Stanton’s remaining salary.
