Miami doesn't want to frequently discuss the Giancarlo Stanton contract extension situation this offseason. But as of Wednesday, the organization's front office confirmed to the media initial discussions were underway. The Marlins initially made it a goal to get Stanton signed before the Winter Meetings, and are confident they can get a deal done.
While President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill refused to comment on the specific exchanges, he did note that he reached out to Stanton and his representative.
"Our negotiations, we want to keep them private," Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said in a conference call on Wednesday afternoon. "We don’t want to negotiate this through the media. I will say that we’ve reached out to his representative and that negotiations are ongoing."
Miami's All-Star right fielder led the National League with 37 home runs in 2014, and posted a .288/.395/.555 batting line to complement 105 RBIs. The Marlins have made it clear that they want to keep Stanton on the roster in 2015, even if a deal cannot get done. But the squad may be inclined to trade Stanton next summer if an extension becomes unrealistic.
Stanton made $6.5 million in 2014, and is one of three National League MVP finalists. He was given the Hank Aaron Award, and was also a Gold Glove finalist.
There are contrasting reports with regard to the amount Stanton will request, but MLB.com's Joe Frisaro doesn't believe Stanton will request something in the ten year, $300 million range.
It is doubtful the club or Stanton would be seeking a 10-year deal in the $300 million range.
"We haven’t given him a time line, and I don’t want to speculate that we would allow it to go on indefinitely," Hill said. "But at some point, he either is going to be signed to a multi-year, or he will be signed to a one-year. We haven’t gotten to that yet. There is no deadline in place as far as the timing of things."
Miami has seemingly adopted a positive attitude regarding the Stanton situation, but the Marlins' star right fielder has not expressed complete interest in remaining in Miami. He wants to be around a winning squad, but may not be convinced the Marlins have turned things around.
Stanton was part of one of baseball's youngest outfields last season, and the Marlins do not have payroll concerns. Hill told MLB.com that the Marlins will be able to improve the team in a way that doesn't interfere with a possible Stanton extension.
"We don’t get into specifics with our payroll," Hill said. "But the one thing that we left our organizational meetings knowing is that we’re going to be able to do what we need to do. The plan is to retain all of our players, including the big right fielder, hopefully, and find a way to continue to upgrade the roster."
Miami was expected to begin conversations with Stanton's agent this month. And the fact that discussions have started should be a good sign for the Marlins.