The Marlins Should Trade Giancarlo Stanton
It's not very often in the middle of August that Major League Baseball's home run leader (and by a wide margin) is in trade discussions. Yes, the trade deadline has passed, but because Giancarlo Stanton cleared waivers the Marlins have until August 31 to deal him if they feel inclined to do so. Normally I would be vehemently opposed to trading a player of Stanton's caliber, but in this scenario, I think the fish should get the 27-year old slugger off of their books. Why?
Well, aside from the substantial return of cost-effective prospects that would be sent Miami's way, Stanton is set to make in the ballpark of $300 million over the next 10 years. While that contract may be justifiable for the next handful of years, when Stanton turns 33-34 years old I am not so sure that the Marlins - or any team - would want to be paying the prodigious right-fielder over $30 million per season. So then why would a team take on such a contract in a trade?
The reason is simple: World Series are so tough to come by. Ask the Nationals if they could do it over again would they have rested Stephen Strasburg because of some self-proclaimed "innings limit" or would they have put all their chips in the center of the table and risked his future for a ring? They should've gone for it. They were the best team in baseball that year, but they thought that multiple World Series were in their future. But guess what? They have yet to make it to a single one. If you have an opportunity to win the World Series, you seize that. A team like the Dodgers, or the Cubs, or the Indians, or even the Astros should trade for Giancarlo Stanton. Who knows how long a team's window to win a ring really is? The goal in baseball is to be the last team standing in October. Giancarlo Stanton would improve every team's chance of being that team. While his contract may turn into an albatross, he is currently one of the top hitters in baseball. If he helps a team win the World Series this year he is worth every dime.
