Giancarlo Stanton Contract Situation

Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

One of the hot topics surrounding this offseason seems to be the future of Giancarlo Stanton with the Miami Marlins. It is obvious that Stanton is a coveted player due to his age and his propensity to swat mammoth home runs, but up until now, the Marlins have reportedly not offered him a long-term deal. According to Joe Frisaro, MLB.com blogger, that is not likely to change in the coming days.

But according to a league source, barring a dramatic change of events, Miami will not be locking up slugger Giancarlo Stanton to a long-term contract. At least, such an agreement would not take place on Friday.

This situation has been a head scratcher for many of us here at Marlin Maniac. You have three possible outcomes, two of which are completely fine, and one which would be disastrous. The two options that would benefit Miami would be a long-term deal for Stanton, or a trade that yields players that could help the Marlins within the next few years. The lone result that would be crippling would be watching Stanton walk away with nothing in return.

While I may not have much faith in Jeffrey Loria, I don’t think that they would let him walk for nothing. But the fact remains, the longer they wait to trade him, the less they will get in return. This is just another example of the greediness of Loria. The only reason that they have not offered him a long-term contract, is that they know that he will command more than what he is likely to get through arbitration over the next year or two. They are willing to possibly lose out on an all-star corner outfielder, to save a few million dollars.

If I am Stanton, I see right through this ploy. That is the same reason why he made a little over half a million dollars last year. The Marlins refuse to spend a dime more than they have to, even at the expense of winning games. Until that changes, Miami will continue to struggle to compete on a regular basis, and they will struggle to keep big-time talent.