MLB Trade Rumors: Multiple teams interested in Stanton

After being told he can no longer write for Fox Sports anymore yesterday (that’s a whole other story), free agent writer Ken Rosenthal took to Facebook to write about the possibility of a Giancarlo Stanton trade.

According to Rosenthal, the Phillies have talked about a possible deal with the Marlins in which Philadelphia would get Stanton and Christian Yelich and take on both of their contracts.

However, Rosenthal also reported that the Phillies have not actually expressed interest in Stanton. They just really want Yelich.

It seems very unlikely that this deal would go down, but it does show that teams are looking at ways to acquire the Miami slugger. Rosenthal reported that multiple teams are interested in Stanton, and the Marlins could still move him despite that huge contract.

Stanton signed a 13-year, $325 million contract with the Marlins in 2014 that includes an opt out after the 2020 season. That’s a lot of money, but if the Marlins were able to pay some of that salary, a deal could be made.

Rosenthal writes: “Perhaps no club would want Stanton at full price — his opt-out would be one obstacle, his injury history another. Heck, the Phillies might simply prefer to save the big money for Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, both of whom are free agents after ‘18. But every team has a dollar figure at which Stanton would become attractive, provided that the Marlins were willing to include cash in the deal.”

Rosenthal went on to report that if the Marlins could pay Stanton’s contract down to $20 million per year (it’s at $25 million right now), then many more teams would be able to get a deal done.

Obviously, the impending sale of the team plays a significant role in any big trade like this moving forward, but at this point, Rosenthal’s sources seem to point to the Marlins being sellers at the deadline.