Ever since the Miami Marlins decided to basically start from scratch and throw most of what they did this past offseason out the window, no one has been more unhappy than Giancarlo Stanton. The 23-year-old outfielder is one of the brightest young stars in the game, and he is not thrilled about having to be part of a rebuilding project.
When Miami traded Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes to the Blue Jays, Stanton immediately took to Twitter to rip his team for the move. He offered no apologies several days later, reiterating the fact that he is unhappy with the team’s approach and feels sorry for the fans. Many believe Stanton wants to be traded, but the Marlins are unlikely to deal him. That doesn’t mean the phone lines aren’t open.
“We’ve never not listened to a deal on any player,” assistant GM Dan Jennings told Jim Bowden on SiriusXM radio, via the Palm Beach Post. “We’ve always been willing to listen… But what we are not going to do is move a player for less than what we value their ability. And Giancarlo Stanton, you’ve got a 22-year-old guy we think going forward has got a chance to be a .300 hitter and (hit) 50 home runs and be a guy who is a big-time run producer.
“While we are not shopping him, certainly not looking to move him, yeah, if someone knocked on our door and said, ‘Hey, will you guys consider this and this and this,’ you have to listen.”
Stanton belted 37 homers and drove in 86 runs last season to go along with his .290 batting average. He’s under team control for several seasons, so any team that wanted him would have to offer — at minimum — a boatload of top prospects. That being said, players generally get their way. If Stanton puts up enough of a stink, there’s always a way he can force himself out of town.
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