Things haven’t gone according to plan for the Miami Marlins this season. They came into the year with a lot of hype thanks to the signings of Jose Reyes, Heath Bell, and Mark Buehrle. However, 136 games later, the Marlins are 60-76 and sitting in the cellar of the National League East. They already cut some payroll before the deadline, trading Hanley Ramirez, Omar Infante, and Anibal Sanchez elsewhere. But will there be MLB rumors this winter regarding the beast that is Giancarlo Stanton?
At the deadline, there were reports that the Marlins were shopping anybody and everybody, including Stanton if the price was right. Stanton, 22, won’t enter arbitration until 2014, giving him even more value since he will still be making around 500K next season.
The guaranteed payroll for the Marlins next season is a lot less than the payroll this year – $34 million to be exact – so as of right now, the Marlins don’t have to worry about the financial restrictions Stanton will undoubtedly bring once he hits arbitration. But that’s why it makes perfect sense to shop him now.
Look, the Marlins aren’t very good, and their manager is a complete buffoon. Trading Stanton now will give the Marlins a package so enriching, they would actually reload rather than rebuild. The great thing about shopping Stanton – similar to Justin Upton – is that every team would be interested in acquiring him, not just the contenders.
Personally, I think Stanton is the best young hitter in baseball. The fact that he is 22 is downright terrifying. Any team would be lucky to have Stanton. And if the Marlins were truthful when they said anyone was available a couple months ago, I doubt much has changed now.
We all know Jeffrey Loria is cheap and will trade Stanton eventually, so why not strike while the iron is hot?
Bryan is a featured writer for Rant Sports. Although he concentrates mostly on the game of baseball, you can find him covering things all over the Rant Sports Network.
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