Stanton may have Dodgers in sights

S.F., St. Louis are outfielder’s hottest pursuers

If the Giants trade for Giancarlo Stanton, their fans would know he left his heart in Los Angeles.

Not that it would matter. The Giants are in desperate need of a power hitter, and their fans would welcome him under virtually any circumstances, even if it meant his first choice was wearing Dodger blue.

With the Dec. 11-14 winter meetings approaching, trade talks involving Stanton could come to a head in the coming days as the scaling-down Marlins are eager to shed most, if not all, of the remaining $295 million on his contract. He’d need to approve any deal because of his full no-trade clause.

By all accounts, the Giants and Cardinals remain the most aggressive pursuers, but Stanton is believed to be holding out for the Dodgers to make a push. Stanton grew up 15 miles from Dodger Stadium, and he’d likely prefer to play in his hometown for the National League champs.

The Dodgers have been somewhat hesitant on Stanton because of their desire not to exceed the $197 million luxury tax threshold or add another nine-figure contract to the

books beyond Clayton Kershaw’s (and Adrian Gonzalez’s, which expires in a year).

Meantime, the rival Giants are hoping Stanton determines San Francisco would suit him as a runner-up choice. Team officials Bobby Evans and Brian Sabean met with the Stanton camp Thursday in Southern California to make their pitch, and Cardinals executives did the same Friday.

It was believed the Marlins wouldn’t have given either team clearance to speak with Stanton or his agency ( Joel Wolfe and Wasserman Media Group) if deals, or at least frameworks for deals, weren’t in place.

Sunday, Jon Paul Morosi of MLB Network reported the Marlins indeed agreed to trade frameworks with the Giants and Cardinals. So the matter is in Stanton’s court, and maybe the Dodgers’ — and there’s no deadline.

While waiting on the Dodgers to either aggressively join the sweepstakes or bow out, Stanton could refuse to waive his no-trade powers until later in the offseason or even next season, but he’d risk the possibility of teams in pursuit adding other players and pulling their offers from the table.

The Giants have many holes to fill including the outfield, third base and the bullpen as they try to bounce back from an embarrassing 98-loss season.

That’s another factor, the state of the Giants and whether they can convince Stanton the team has a bright future despite the team-wide struggles starting after the 2016 All-Star break and a core of players advancing in age; the Dodgers’ core is far younger.

Stanton, 28, has no desire to be part of a rebuilding process, which the Marlins will be entering under new ownership, featuring point man Derek Jeter.

The Giants have said they’re open to exceeding the luxurytax threshold a fourth straight year, which would come with severe penalties, but the Dodgers don’t appear so open to the idea and already have plenty of capable outfielders.

The Giants had the majors’ fewest home runs; Stanton led the majors with 59 and won the National League MVP award. His contract allows him to opt out after the 2020 season, which would guarantee only three seasons with his next team.

The Marlins also want to move Dee Gordon, who’s owed $38 million through 2020, and the second baseman would be a nice fit for the Giants, who lack speed. The Marlins are said to have interest in second baseman Joe Panik, who won’t be a free agent until 2021.

On the other hand, Stanton could balk at the Giants and Cardinals and try to force a trade to the Dodgers even if the offer is inferior. The Giants can only hope the Dodgers eventually withdraw their interest.