Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
This offseason when the Miami Marlins traded away Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and others to the Toronto Blue Jays, young Marlins’ slugger Giancarlo Stanton let it be known that he was not happy. With the Marlins obviously looking to cut salary and embark on another rebuilding situation it appears that Stanton wants out of town. Does this mean the Marlins are going to trade Stanton at all costs? Of course not; Stanton is only 23-years-old and would be an ideal player for the Marlins to build around. That being said, if a team were to offer Miami a bunch of well thought of prospects in exchange for Stanton, would the Marlins trade their disgruntled star? I think they would.
There are a ton of teams that would be interested in Stanton. Honestly, I am sure every team in baseball would at least make a call if Miami was to make Stanton available. One team that I think would really look to acquire the young slugger is the Chicago Cubs. If the Marlins make Stanton available at the deadline, the plan of action might change for the Cubs. Right now, it appears that the Cubs will be sellers at the trade deadline, looking to dump veteran pieces in exchange for prospects. If Stanton hits the market, however, that could all change. Even though the Cubs want to rebuild this team using their minor league system, you have to acquire the talent when it is available. Stanton is a special talent, and even though he would cost the Cubs a ton, I think it would be worth it.
General Manager Jed Hoyer and President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein have completely rebuilt the minor league system in their short time in Chicago. Their hard work has most thinking the Cubs have a top five minor league system in all of baseball. Not only does this give them a bright future when the players are ready to compete at a major league level, but it allows the Cubs a ton of firepower when it comes to acquiring major league ready talent like Stanton.
There is no doubt that trading for Stanton would cost the Cubs a lot of their prospects. For starters they would have to give up at least one, maybe two of their “big three prospects” in Javier Baez, Jorge Soler and Albert Almora. On top of that, they would have to get rid of at least two more prospects who would be considered in their top 10. It is hard to put a price on a player like Stanton, but if the Marlins are serious about trading him, I think that the Cubs have the firepower to make a deal happen.
When it is all said and done, I do not think the Marlins will look to trade Stanton yet. They may receive a better deal for him during the offseason. That may work out better for the Cubs as they will be more willing to trade off their prospects and have a full season of Stanton to help make a playoff run. No matter what happens, you better believe that Epstein and Hoyer have a plan in place if the Marlins make their young slugger available.
Daniel is a Chicago Cubs writer for www.RantSports.com. He also contributes to TotalSportsBlog.com. Follow him on Twitter @D_Schmelzer and add him to your network on Google.
