Red Sox: What would it take to trade for Giancarlo Stanton?

We’ve heard that the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants are expected to be strong suitors for Stanton. Their involvement certainly has the potential to drive up the price, but just because those teams want Stanton doesn’t mean he is interested in them. While he’s not a free agent, he might as well be given his contract includes a full no-trade clause. This gives Stanton some leverage to steer himself toward his preferred destination.

While we don’t know if Stanton has a preference at this point, the belief is that he would prioritize a team on either coast ahead of the Midwest, according to a report from Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. That would suggest that Boston has an advantage over St. Louis.

We also know that Stanton wants to play for a contender. He’s not agreeing to a trade that ships him from one rebuilding team to another. The Giants have had success in recent years but are coming off a last-place finish in 2017. They may not consider themselves in a rebuilding phase, but even with Stanton in their lineup they aren’t contenders in a loaded NL West.

Also factor in that Stanton can opt out of his contract after the 2020 season if he thinks he can secure an even more lucrative deal by then. If his chances of cashing in hinge on his home run totals then why would he agree to a trade sending him to one of the game’s most pitcher-friendly parks where his power would be suppressed? The Giants scored the second fewest runs in the majors this year, so joining a weak lineup would also hinder his RBI chances.

If Stanton’s goal is to join a contender while playing in an environment conducive to posting outstanding offensive production, Boston is easily the best fit among this trio of suitors. If he tells the Marlins that he wants to be traded to the Red Sox, that no-trade clause can be leveraged to make it happen. In that case, it may not matter if other teams can put together a better package.

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Sending Stanton to Boston makes sense from every angle. It’s all starting to line up for the Red Sox. Now we just have to wait to see if Miami agrees.