Red Sox Rumors: Giancarlo Stanton could be traded

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.