Red Sox Rumors: Giancarlo Stanton could be traded
The Miami Marlins are reportedly open to trading superstar slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who recently cleared waivers. Could the Boston Red Sox come calling?
We may have blown passed the MLB trade deadline, but that won’t necessarily stop the Boston Red Sox from pulling off a blockbuster.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports that the Miami Marlins are “willing to engage” with teams on a potential trade for Giancarlo Stanton. The All-Star outfielder reportedly cleared revocable waivers, making him eligible to be dealt in August. While Morosi was clear that the Marlins aren’t involved in any serious talks yet, we can expect that Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will be monitoring the situation.
Stanton, with his powerful right-handed swing tailor made to take advantage of Fenway’s short left field wall, has long been a desirable target for Red Sox fans. He currently leads the majors with 44 home runs this season. Stanton has blasted 11 homers in August alone, including a streak of six straight games that was snapped on Wednesday.
It’s clear why a Red Sox team that ranks last in the league in home runs would be enamored by his power. What they may find far less appealing is his contract. Stanton is owed $295 million over the next 11 seasons of his fully guaranteed deal. Miami is going to have to swallow a large chunk of that salary if they want to move him. If any team was willing to take on that contract, he would have been claimed on waivers.
Why would the Marlins even consider moving one of the game’s brightest young stars? While they entered the day sitting second in the NL East, Miami is 13.5 games behind the division leading Washington Nationals and eight games out of a playoff spot. Their 58-61 record shows they aren’t a good team, they merely play in a division where only one decent team resides.
Dealing Stanton would help the Marlins restock a farm system that ESPN’s Keith Law rated 29th in baseball prior to this season. Outfielder Christian Yelich is the only position player 25 years old or younger on the major league roster. A team that isn’t likely to contend for at least a couple more years needs to find more young talent to build around Yelich.
The Marlins are also in the process of being sold to a group that includes Derek Jeter. Shedding Stanton’s enormous salary would allow the new owners to be more flexible in the direction they steer the franchise.
The Red Sox have deeper pockets than the small-market Marlins, but that doesn’t mean they turn a blind eye toward increasing payroll. Boston has been cautious of the harsh luxury tax penalties introduced in the new collective bargaining agreement. Paying the remainder of the $14.5 million Stanton is owed for this season could push them over that ledge.
One way to potentially offset those concerns would be to convince the Marlins to take Hanley Ramirez off their hands as part of the deal. That would actually save the Red Sox a bit of money this season. Stanton’s salary rises to $25 million in 2018, which is only moderately higher than what Ramirez will earn.
Ramirez played the first seven years of his career with the Marlins after the Red Sox dealt him as a prospect after the 2005 season. Perhaps returning him to the franchise where he enjoyed the best years of his career could be a draw for some nostalgic fans, softening the blow of losing their most popular player in Stanton.
Unfortunately, that solution doesn’t work from a baseball perspective. The Red Sox learned the hard way that Ramirez can’t play the outfield, so he wouldn’t seamlessly fit into Stanton’s spot in the lineup. Miami already has Justin Bour as a younger option to man first base who is also having a statistically better season than Ramirez.
A trade for Stanton would be more likely after the season. If the Red Sox manage to duck the luxury tax to reset the repeater penalties then they may be more willing to exceed the threshold next year. It would also give them more time to find another home for Ramirez, who may be more movable with only two years left on his contract.
Even if they could clear Ramirez from the payroll, acquiring Stanton may still be a pipe dream. He’s owed a staggering amount of money through his age 38 season. While a move to the AL where he can serve as a designated hitter could prolong his career, it’s difficult to project the down slope of any player’s career that far in advance. There’s tremendous risk involved in taking on that commitment, especially for a hitter who has played in at least 145 games only twice in eight seasons.
Not to mention the effect that Stanton’s contract could have on the future of the young core of this team. Those emerging stars will need to be paid eventually. While Ramirez’ contract expires at an ideal time from that perspective, clogging the payroll with Stanton’s contract makes re-signing their own talent complicated. We have to assume the Red Sox would not deal for Stanton if it might prohibit their chances to afford Mookie Betts when he hits free agency in 2021. What if Stanton’s salary, combined with a new deal for Betts, means they can’t afford Xander Bogaerts or Andrew Benintendi?
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It’s easy to dream about Stanton swatting home runs at Fenway wearing a Red Sox uniform, yet we can’t forget about the cost. The haul of prospects it would take to pry him out of Miami, the luxury tax penalties and the potential loss of homegrown talent down the line. All of these are potential costs that have to be weighed in any decision to trade for Stanton. Which is why we shouldn’t’ count on it actually happening.