Miami Marlins MLB Trade and Roster Rumors: Giancarlo Stanton, Dee Gordon and Martin Prado Available for Trade
It appears that the Miami Marlins are preparing to shake things up this offseason with the intention to cut payroll.
According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Marlins have reached out to other teams to let them know that they are willing to trade slugger Giancarlo Stanton, second baseman Dee Gordon and third baseman Martin Prado.
Olney also noted that the Marlins are not looking to deal outfielders Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna right now. Of course, that may change in the coming weeks and months.
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With a new ownership group running the show, holdovers from the previous regime are expected to be placed on the trading block this winter, so this shouldn't come as a surprise. However, many have questioned the Marlins' willingness to trade Stanton.
As expected, Stanton was named as a finalist for the National League's most valuable player award by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
After finishing the season with a franchise record 59 home runs, the outfielder is expected to draw a lot of interest in the trade market if he's available. The problem is that he's going to be difficult to move because of his contract and the Marlins' asking price.
"The Marlins will want elite prospects, plural, and they will probably try to include someone like Martin Prado or Wei-Yin Chen, players with contracts the new ownership group would love to jettison," Ryan Fagan said in his column for Sporting News.
"The team that trades for Stanton will absolutely want the Marlins to pay down some of the $295 million left on the contract. Problem is, the Marlins are trying to cut payroll, and Stanton's $25 million for 2018 is a hefty number," he added.
That should complicate any deal involving Stanton. The Marlins will never let Stanton leave unless they get close to equal value in return, so teams will have to be patient if they want to acquire him.
