Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is in the midst of one of the best power stretches in recent baseball history. The All-Star has hit 23 homers in his past 35 games and leads the Majors with 44 on the season.
To many, this would seem to be a clear indication that Stanton will be the Marlins’ franchise cornerstone moving forward. After all, he’s still just 27 years old.
Having cleared waivers earlier in the week, that might not be the case.
According to this one report, the Marlins are willing to talk to other teams about the power-hitting outfielder.
Source: #Marlins are "willing to engage" with other teams on Giancarlo Stanton trade but are not involved in any serious talks — yet. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 16, 2017
Set to exist under a new ownership group, it remains to be seen if Stanton’s inflated contract will be an issue in Miami. He signed a 13-year, $325 million extension with the Marlins back in November of 2014.
As Morosi notes, this could also be a potential issue for team looking to trade for the All-Star.
Source: #Marlins are "willing to engage" with other teams on Giancarlo Stanton trade but are not involved in any serious talks — yet. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 16, 2017
Very few organizations around the baseball world can afford to take on that type of salary. And with the waiver trade deadline inching closer later this month, an in-season trade might be out of the equation.
It will be interesting to see what happens on this front during the winter. But for now, it appears the Marlins are willing to move their franchise outfielder.