The Obligatory Call to Acquire Giancarlo Stanton
By Sean Davis
Since the Miami Marlins have already waived the white flag for 2013 by trading away just about every player of value on their roster to the Toronto Blue Jays, it stands to reason that they would listen to the one remaining asset they have. That asset goes by the name of Giancarlo “I Still Catch Myself Saying Mike” Stanton. I’ll preface this article with two thoughts though. First, I I’ll openly admit to having a man crush on 3 non-Athletics players. David Wright of the New York Mets, Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins, and Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers. Braun was ahead of Stanton prior to his little PED hiccup, and probably dropped off the list altogether for a minute, but he won my heart back this year. Stanton made his impression on me when I saw the Marlins play the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, and he hit a ridiculous home run that I still think about to this day. It was a laser shot that ricocheted off the facade of the second deck in left field beneath the scoreboard. It left a lasting impression on me. Second, I honestly don’t for one second realistically expect the Athletics to make a trade for Stanton, I’d be thrilled if they did, but I’m not holding my breath.
May 2, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) hits a game-winning solo home run in front of San Francisco Giants catcher Hector Sanchez (left) during the tenth inning at AT
Giancarlo Stanton is the type of player that should be able to succeed in any ballpark, he did make the spacious Petco Park look like a Little League field after all. It is without question that the price tag for Stanton would be extraordinarily high, but he could be worth the cost. Let’s discuss that for a moment though, from the A’s organization who would have to go in order to bring Stanton in?
Well, considering his position let’s start with Josh Reddick. I know he would be an incredibly unpopular departure from Oakland, but with Stanton in the fold he wouldn’t be needed. Reddick’s Gold Glove along with his 32 home runs just might be enough to appeal to the Marlins, he seriously would be the new face of their franchise. Then it would likely require parting with a young starting pitcher from the Tommy Milone, A.J. Griffin, Dan Straily trio. Then as we dip into the minor leagues, I would take a look at Michael Choice who’s star has fallen somewhat after his mediocre and injury plagued 2012. He’d be a tough one to let go of though, and if I were Billy Beane I’d keep Choice off the table and only use him as a last resort. I would prefer to see if adding someone like Max Stassi or David Freitas, and perhaps Shane Peterson as well. So I would look at something like Reddick, Milone/Griffin/Straily, Stassi/Freitas, and Shane Peterson (to be replaced by Choice only as a last resort) as a reasonable price to pay for someone of Stanton’s caliber.
Obviously a major sticking point would be Stanton’s long term health. He has had knee problems repeatedly in his short career, and for someone his size the likelihood of those problems just fading away are slim to none. This could be used against the Marlins in negotiations of course to attempt to draw down the asking price.
Other than that, the question of his long term signability comes into play. Stanton is slated to become a free agent after the 2016 season. Sure 4 seasons with Stanton in the fold would be amazing, but paying a premium price for him would be a lot easier to handle if he was around longer than that.
I can’t possibly express enough how far fetched this whole idea is, and I’d honestly be pretty surprised if the Marlins actually ended up dealing him. If he ended up with the Rangers or the Angels, I might openly weep. If he ended up on the Giants I’d probably give up on baseball altogether. So long as those things don’t happen I’ll be fine. But for now, it’s okay to dream a little.