Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Why Marlins should sign Stanton
By Doug Mittler
Giancarlo Stanton was the most prominent Marlin left standing following the club’s fire sale earlier this offseason, and there continues to be rumblings the outfielder could be dealt “if the price is right,” wrote Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe last weekend.
Cafardo speculates the Tampa Bay Rays could be one of the teams with the young talent to make a deal happen, particularly if they are willing to part with outfield prospect Wil Myers, who came over in the deal Kansas City in the deal for James Shields.
Stanton did little to quiet any of the speculation when asked if the Marlins have given him any assurances that he will not be traded. "No. Nothing,” Stanton told Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times at a promotional event last week.
ESPN.com's Jim Bowden cautions that the closer an elite player gets to free agency, the more difficult it is for the team to make a deal, so it might not be a bad idea to sign Stanton long-term right now:
Jim Bowden
Sign These Guys Now
"Stanton is the best young right-handed power hitter in baseball, already having belted 93 home runs in his first three seasons. Moreover, Stanton is one of the hardest-working players in the game, who studies and learns. He’s an above-average right fielder with a strong arm and is a good baserunner. Like Mike Trout, Stanton has a chance to be one of the game’s best players over the next decade. If the Marlins can’t get a long-term deal done in the next year or so, they’ll have no other choice than to put him on the trade market and acquire as many building blocks as they can for him."
