Derek Jeter still hasn't spoken with Giancarlo Stanton as trade rumors swirl
Trade rumors about Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton are pouring in every day. Things are practically changing by the hour. When you’ve hit 59 home runs in a season, everybody wants you. So what are the latest rumors about where The Mighty Giancarlo Stanton might go? Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald has one, and it’s about Stanton’s no-trade preferences.
A baseball source said yesterday that he’s been told Stanton will not accept a trade to either the Red Sox or the Cardinals, another team linked early and often in trade rumors. Perhaps there’s some flexibility in that stance, but Stanton’s preference is a factor.
Maybe Stanton just doesn’t like the color red?
It’s important to take this, and all other rumors, with a boulder-sized grain of salt. Especially when a conflicting rumor surfaces just a few hours later, which is exactly what happened. This one comes from Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston.
The Marlins slugger, a bona fide star, is said to have a “completely” open mind about teams interested to trade for him, and is actively trying to be thoughtful about the process — one he ultimately controls because of a full no-trade clause.
So Giancarlo Stanton either won’t accept a trade to the Boston Red Sox or the St. Louis Cardinals, or he will. That’s … confusing. But if Stanton has ruled out the Cards and the Red Sox, that makes a trade more difficult for the Marlins. They represent half of the teams that are rumored to be interested in Stanton (two-thirds if you’re not counting the Philadelphia Phillies, which you shouldn’t). That doesn’t leave much left.
But it does leave the San Francisco Giants. That doesn’t mean that Stanton would be fine with going there, but at least no one has said he doesn’t want to. (Yet.) And apparently the team has been making some progress in trade talks.
Source: Outfield prospect Heliot Ramos, #SFGiants No. 4 prospect according to @MLBPipeline is being discussed as a potential trade piece in a deal for Giancarlo Stanton. The Giants are among at least 4 teams interested in Stanton.
— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) November 14, 2017
If they’re actually talking about a prospect by name, that means that things are getting serious. And if the rumor about Stanton not accepting a trade to St. Louis or Boston is true, that puts the Giants at an advantage.
That advantage lasted all of five hours, because a new team wants to be in the Stanton business. And the Giants aren’t going to like who it is.
The Dodgers are indeed in the mix for Giancarlo Stanton, according to a source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 14, 2017
It was almost inevitable that the Los Angeles Dodgers would enter the race for Stanton. It makes too much sense. Despite their massive payroll (the largest in baseball), they still have money to play with, and they have prospects to move as well. That gives them a lot of flexibility to put together an attractive deal for the Marlins, who are trying to cut payroll.
It’s definitely not that simple, though. The Dodgers have a very competent offense, and Yasiel Puig and Chris Taylor already have starting jobs in the outfield. There are three players vying for the third position, including the Dodgers’ No. 2 prospect Alex Verdugo. Of course, part of the logjam could clear up if the Dodgers include Verdugo in a trade for Stanton.
Besides money and prospects, the Dodgers have another advantage: Stanton grew up a Dodgers fan. Plus, when he was on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in late October, he gave a generous shrug when Kimmel suggested he play for the Dodgers. “If that’s where [the Marlins] want to go, then [shrug].” That’s certainly not definitive, but it’s better than the face he made when Kimmel suggested he play for the Mets. (Stanton looked like he just smelled a dirty jock strap from a 6-month-old gym bag.)
When Stanton was on Kimmel, he gave up another interesting nugget: he had yet to speak with Derek Jeter, the new part-owner of the Marlins. That was on Oct. 24. And on Wednesday, Jeter spoke to the media on day 3 of the annual GM meetings and revealed that 22 days later, the two still hadn’t talked.
Derek Jeter said he hasn’t spoken with Giancarlo Stanton since taking over the Marlins, though president of baseball operations Michael Hill has been in contact with the slugger. “If there’s a reason to call him, I’ll call him.” Implicated a trade is not an absolute certainty.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 15, 2017
That answer from Jeter is more than a little surprising. Stanton hit 59 home runs for the Marlins in 2017, and he’s by far their best player and most valuable trade asset. Isn’t that reason enough to call him and say “Hi, I’m Derek, I’m the new part-owner of the Marlins, it’s nice to meet you?” I guess not. Jeter also said that while the team is listening to offers for Stanton, the Marlins have yet to decide if Stanton is even going to be traded.
So publicly, no one is saying anything of note. And the rumors we have all conflict with each other. Yup, it’s definitely hot stove season.
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Liz Roscher is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher
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