Giancarlo Stanton might prefer the Dodgers as his top trade choice

Chris Cwik
·Staff writer
Giancarlo Stanton is on the trade block this offseason. (AP Photo)
Giancarlo Stanton is on the trade block this offseason. (AP Photo)

Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton is allowed to be picky. The 28-year-old slugger has played in Miami his entire career, never making the postseason. He’s also coming off a year in which he mashed 59 home runs and won the National League MVP award. He’s good, he knows it and he finally wants to compete.

So it should come as no surprise that Stanton’s preferred destination this offseason is a popular contender that should once again challenge for the World Series. Yes, Stanton’s rumored first choice for a trade is the Los Angeles Dodgers.

A few things to note here: This is a rumor and based on what Jon Morosi is hearing from other teams pursuing Stanton. It’s not coming directly from the source, so we’re allowed to question its validity.

With that said, the Dodgers would make sense. The team has made the postseason the last five seasons, even reaching the World Series in 2017. Not only that, but they are one of the few teams that can support Stanton’s massive contract. The club may have to get creative skirting around the luxury tax, but they’ve shown a willingness to take on huge deals in the past. They are a desirable team, and it shouldn’t come as a shock if Stanton really has the Dodgers as his No. 1 choice.

Maybe the Dodgers are his preferred destination, but Stanton doesn’t appear to be ruling out any teams just yet.

The outfielder has reportedly given the Marlins a list of clubs he wants to go to. As part of the 13-year, $325 million contract he signed in 2014, Stanton received full no-trade protection. So he can control where he goes. At this point, Morosi knows the Dodgers on that list, but that’s it.

Fans of other teams shouldn’t panic just yet, though. Morosi believes the list of teams Stanton submitted is negotiable, and notes that a trade is not imminent.

But even if Stanton has his heart set on Los Angeles, there’s still a lot that needs to happen before a trade takes place. The Dodgers would need to make a fair offer and figure out a way to take on Stanton’s contract. The Marlins would have to accept that deal and Stanton would have to be satisfied with all the particulars.

And that doesn’t take into account all the other random things that could take place. Maybe another contender makes a big move and suddenly they become more desirable to Stanton? Maybe a significant player on the Dodgers suffers a season-ending injury in a pickup basketball game? Probably not, but crazier things have happened.

If anything, this only increases speculation that a Stanton trade is coming. While every club should have interest, only a few are going to be suitable for reigning MVP. After spending his whole career with the Marlins, it’s tough to really blame Stanton for that.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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