Report: Marlins, Giants close to agreeing on Giancarlo Stanton trade

The only thing standing in the way of Giancarlo Stanton being traded to the San Francisco Giants may be the NL MVP’s stamp of approval.

SiriusXM Radio host Craig Mish reported on Thursday that Giants executives were set to meet with Stanton’s representatives in Los Angeles. According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the trade discussions have been very promising, and the Marlins seem to be satisfied with the package the Giants are offering.

Ultimately, though, the call will be up to Stanton, as he has a full no-trade clause, which gives him the power to decide where he wishes to go – at least among the teams interested enough to make bona fide bids. Giants power brokers Bobby Evans, Brian Sabean and even Bruce Bochy traveled to Los Angeles for the meeting with Stanton’s reps in Los Angeles, including lead agent Joel Wolfe, Mish reported. (It isn’t known whether Stanton himself was there.)

It also isn’t known whether there’s a tentative agreement in place between the teams, but there’s word from sources that the Giants are willing to pay a substantial portion the $295 million to go on Stanton’s deal over the next 10 years, and Mish reported that at least at some point a package including infielder Joe Panik and young pitchers Tyler Beede and Chris Shaw had been bandied about. The Marlins began talks at the beginning of this winter by asking teams to take the entire contract, and also to give up good prospects, though it isn’t clear whether the Giants have signaled a willingness to pay the entire deal – which also includes a player opt-out in three years.

The St. Louis Cardinals are the other team that has been aggressively pursuing Stanton, but the 28-year-old has a full no-trade clause and is said to prefer going to the West Coast. There have been rumblings that Stanton is hoping the Marlins can work something out with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but it sounds like Miami’s talks with the Giants have gone the deepest.