Report: Giants' biggest rival believed to be Stanton's first choice

Share

SAN FRANCISCO — Throughout the chase for Giancarlo Stanton, the Giants have been framed as co-favorites with the St. Louis Cardinals. That’s a pretty good place to be, given Stanton’s full no-trade clause and the belief that he would prefer to be closer to Southern California, where he grew up. 

Monday’s rumors, however, won’t go over as well in the offices at AT&T Park. Some of Stanton’s pursuers believe the Dodgers are his first choice and he’s waiting for that situation to play out, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. The Dodgers and Marlins have had some discussions regarding Stanton, but haven’t made progress, per Morosi. 

On the surface, the Dodgers seem a likely destination. They have the biggest payroll in the sport, contend every season and play a short distance from Sherman Oaks, where Stanton went to high school. But the Dodgers have focused on player development in recent years, slowly trimming their payroll and turning the team over to young players like Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger, with more young talent on the way. The big deals they have given out have mostly been to their own players. Stanton seems an unlikely choice for Andrew Friedman’s front office. 

Regardless, it doesn’t appear this will all come to an end any time soon. Giants officials said in recent days that they did not sense a decision was near, and if Stanton wants to wait for a decision from the Dodgers, other teams will just have to wait with him. He’s the type of talent worth holding up your offseason for, especially for the Giants, who came into the winter with a much more modest plan. 

There was one other development Monday morning. Stanton has given the Marlins a list of teams he would play for, according to Morosi. It is not known if the Giants are on that list, although they have gone through this process under the assumption that they are fully in the running for Stanton and that he would ultimately come to San Francisco if given the choice. 

Contact Us