The San Francisco Giants expect that the Giancarlo Stanton saga will be complete soon. They also view a team that hasn’t necessarily been in the mix as the greatest threat.
This can obviously change as it goes, but Giants expect a Stanton decision by the end of the week. I'm hearing they continue to view Dodgers, not Cardinals, as biggest threat.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) December 6, 2017
There’s nothing terribly surprising about this.
It’s previously been reported that Stanton prefers the Giants to the St. Louis Cardinals. On Wednesday, San Francisco general manager Bobby Evans confirmed previous reports that the Giants and Miami Marlins had an agreement worked out.
Bobby Evans confirmed Stanton was in LA meeting last Thursday and that Giants agreed to terms with Marlins. Of course, Stanton needs to approve any deal. Evans interviewed on Giants' radio flagship, KNBR.
— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) December 6, 2017
Having some doubts about the Giants is only natural. San Francisco has won a lot in the decade. But in 2017, the Giants lost 98 games. Stanton has been stuck on a losing team for his entire career. It only makes sense that he’d want to go to a winner. There are fewer concerns with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are the reigning National League champs and have won five straight NL West titles.
Nevertheless, the Dodgers have reported issues with adding Stanton’s contract and going over the luxury tax. Unless that changes, Stanton will have to choose between San Francisco, Miami, and St. Louis. Once he does, expect a whole host of trades and signings to follow.