The St. Louis Cardinals got deep into discussions with the Miami Marlins about acquiring Giancarlo Stanton, but the NL MVP did not want to waive his no-trade clause to make the deal work. Perhaps the groundwork that was laid can now be used to facilitate a Marcell Ozuna deal.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Cardinals and Marlins are making progress on a trade involving Ozuna.
#STLCards making progress on acquiring Ozuna from the #Marlins, sources tell The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 13, 2017
The Cardinals had reportedly agreed to the framework of a deal with Miami for Stanton, so it makes sense that the two teams would still want to do business. St. Louis is loaded with prospects, and the Marlins are determined to unload some — if not all — of their players with big contracts.
Ozuna has been an All-Star two seasons in a row and is entering his second year of arbitration. He made $3.5 million in arbitration last season and should be in line for a much bigger salary in 2018 and 2019. The 27-year-old had a breakout season in 2017, batting .312 with 37 home runs, 124 RBI and an OPS of .924.
We have heard some other teams mentioned in trade talks with the Marlins for Ozuna, but the Cardinals may make the most sense after what happened with Stanton.
