Miami Marlins are cleaning the house, but they may have trouble moving their All-Star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton because of his no-trade clause. The St. Louis Cardinals have released a statement on Friday, saying that they had a deal to acquire Stanton from the Marlins but the player declined the move.
“We felt this was a great landing spot for him, but it was not meant to be,” – said Cardinals president John Mozeliak. Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. added: “While we are disappointed in his decision, we will continue to make every effort to improve our club for the upcoming season.“
San Francisco Giants also released a statement and said they have tried to land Stanton and failed.
“Our agreement with the Marlins to acquire Giancarlo Stanton subject to his waiving of the no-trade clause will not move forward and it is our understanding that the Marlins and Stanton are exploring other options,” – said the Giants in a media release.
Under the new ownership, led by Derek Jeter, the Marlins are trying to make moves in order to clear big contracts off their books. On Thursday, the team managed to move Dee Gordon to the Seattle Mariners, to whom they owed $37 million through 2020 season. They were trying to find a landing spot for Stanton and his guaranteed $295 million contracts for more than a month, but the player is willing to waive his no-trade clause for a limited number of teams. There are reports that Stanton would consider moves to Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees.
Giancarlo Stanton made his debut for the Marlins in 2010, earning the All-Rookie Team honors at the end of the season. He finished the 2011 season with 56 career home runs, becoming the third player to achieve that before his 22nd birthday in the last 40 years. After All-Star selections in 2012 and 2014, the Marlins signed Stanton to a 13 year, $325 million worth deal which was the richest total dollar value contract in team sports history. At the end of the 2017 season, he was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player. Stanton currently has 960 hits and 267 home runs in his MLB career.
