Red Sox among the teams showing interest in Stanton
Cardinals, Phillies, Giants have also talked with Marlins.
Imagine the number of home runs Giancarlo Stanton might hit if he played half his games at Fenway Park. 65?
70?
75?
Boston could find out as early as next season. According to a major league source, talks between the Red Sox and Marlins involving a trade for the slugger “may be heating up.”
“They’re definitely in play,” the source said of the Red Sox, who are exploring the possibility of acquiring the Majors’ reigning home run king.
As the Marlins prepare to open shop Monday at the general managers meetings in Orlando, they’re already talking to a handful of teams about Stanton. MLB.com reported Friday that the Marlins have had preliminary discussions with the Cardinals, Phillies, Giants and Red Sox.
Of course, any deal involving Stanton involves two key issues: the massive amount of money still owed to him, and his full no-trade rights, which allow him to accept or veto any trade the Marlins are able to hammer out.
There is speculation that Stanton would prefer to play on one of the two coasts. But, so far, he has given no indication as to which cities he would prefer or dismiss outright. He has stated only that he would like to be part of a winning team — something he’s never experienced in his eight seasons with the Marlins — and doesn’t wish to be part of a rebuild, which is expected to occur in Miami with new ownership.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, are prepared to increase payroll, even to the point of exceeding the luxury tax threshold. Red Sox owner John Henry and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed as much last week.
Historically, Dombrowski likes to think big, and the Marlins have conducted business with him in the past, most notably the 2007 blockbuster in which they traded Miguel Cabrera to Detroit.
The Red Sox hit the fewest home runs in the American League last season and are looking to upgrade their lineup offensively.