It’s the offseason and for the Boston Red Sox and the loyal Nation that follows, every rumor from the hot stove will be analyzed, discussed and decided if it’s the right one for the ball club.
Not surprisingly, Giancarlo Stanton has again become the subject of trade discussions and whether or not the Red Sox should pursue a deal with the Marlins to land the coveted slugger.
Chad Finn of the Boston Globe wrote a great piece on why he thinks the Sox should try and acquire the 24-year old outfielder from the fish and writes that every young player should be available in the Boston offer except Xander Bogaerts.
Of course it’s easy to sit and say that the Sox should put an extreme offer together and make the Marlins even remotely consider it. But Marlins GM Dan Jennings has stated that Stanton is not available. Period, end of story according to the Miami organization.
Finn states that a four or five-player deal might be enough to make Jennings re-think his stance on his prized possession. Possible players mentioned as possible trade bait in Finn’s deal include Matt Barnes, Anthony Ranaudo, Allen Webster, Will Middlebrooks and Garin Cecchini to capture a few.
There is a boat load of talent in this list and any deal that would land Stanton would likely take an offer greater than the one that brought Adrian Gonzalez to Fenway Park. And every Red Sox fan remembers how that deal turned out.
While it’s not to compare Gonzalez to Stanton and the current Marlin’s all-star is younger than when Gonzo came over, it’s hard to fathom giving up that much young talent again for one player. In other words, is it worth robbing the prospect cupboard for one outfielder? It is one hell of an outfielder however who would be in a Red Sox uniform for the long-term and his talent alone would make this team instantly better, not to mention the protection he’d provide in the batting lineup.
With David Ortiz likely to retire in the next couple of years, having Stanton’s bat could be viewed as his replacement, not to mention he is the type of player any GM would like to build their team around.
But is it worth venturing down that road that Theo Epstein took and all but selling the farm? The Red Sox have done a great job of replenishing their prospects and this year the baseball world took note that retaining and developing your young talent can pay off in huge spots. Is it time to ship a handful of the future over to Miami for Giancarlo Stanton?
Take part in our daily poll and let’s gauge the interest of Red Sox Nation on where they stand on trading for Giancarlo Stanton.