Giancarlo Stanton doesn’t want to be part of a losing team forever.
The Miami Marlins slugger has been the subject of trade rumors nearly every season, but none of the rumblings have ever come to fruition. Now that the Marlins have new ownership, perhaps it’s more likely Stanton winds up being dealt.
In fact, if the new owners, which include former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, decide to rebuild, Stanton wants no part of it.
“I don’t want to rebuild,” Stanton told FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman on Friday. “… I’ve lost for seven years.”
The Marlins’ last winning season was in 2009, the season before Stanton was drafted and made his Major League Baseball debut. They looked to be contenders for a brief period in the second half of the 2017 season, but they ultimately finished 79-82 and 15 1/2 games out of first place in the National League East.
Heyman reported that the Marlins are said to be losing $70 million this season, so clearing the rest of Stanton’s 13-year, $325 million contract — he’s entering his fourth year and is set to make $25 million in 2018 — off the books actually would be ideal for Miami. Stanton has a full no-trade clause, too, so he has a lot of control over his fate, which would be a win-win situation.
Thumbnail photo via Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports Images