St. Louis Cardinals: What to watch for at the GM meetings

When and where will Giancarlo Stanton be dealt?

The prized fish is the talk of baseball and anything remotely related to the St. Louis Cardinals right now, so that’s where we are going to start. With other teams like Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles (NL) also in the mix for Giancarlo Stanton, the Cardinals will have to step up their game to reel in Stanton’s talent to St. Louis.

The obvious hold ups are the mega contract (potentially $295 million/11 years, including the player opt-out), the no-trade clause, and the return the Miami Marlins would receive for Stanton. Each obstacles represents a major hurdle the Cardinals must navigate expertly to avoid a total system collapse in the long-term future.

However, if there ever was a time to make a move as significant as this, now would be the time to make good on the promise to become a better team. It’s no secret the Cardinals will try to do so, but can we realistically expect something to get done this week? I’m not so sure.

I think over the next couple of days we will continue to heard bits and pieces anything close to Stanton.  Whether it is substantial information, I think the we can reasonably expect Stanton not to be dealt this week. I see this as an opportunity for Mike Girsch to continue to feel the waters with Miami, but also feel the waters on what other teams are willing to do to obtain Stanton.

Related Story: Update on the Stanton sweepstakes

Teams like Boston may not have the prospect return such as the Cardinals, but may be willing to eat a majority, if not all, of the salary still owed to Stanton throughout his contract. It would certainly entice a team like the Marlins if they could be off the hook for a majority of the contract, but if that’s all I am receiving for arguably the NL’s MVP in 2017, then I might look a different way.

It’s that particular niche Mike Girsch finds himself, with the abundance of arms and outfield talent. However, just because the St. Louis Cardinals have the necessary pieces to make this deal, doesn’t mean it will actually get done either. We have seen time and time again the reluctance of this team get in the way of making a splash in the off-season.

On top of all of that, Stanton still has the ability to use his no-trade clause power and veto any trade to a particular team. it has become increasingly hard to know Stanton’s thoughts on whether he would prefer to play on a coast or in the Midwest. Instead of wondering about the location, I’ll use what Stanton said to convince him St. Louis is the best place for him.

Stanton earlier this year said he wanted to win. I think he knows, in St. Louis, he has the opportunity to do so at the highest level. He will play meaningful games in September and in October. Can I say that for the other teams involved? I guess for teams like Boston and Los Angeles you can make the same argument, but as I mentioned above the St. Louis Cardinals might be the only team the Marlins would trade with in terms of return.

So hold your breath a little longer Cardinal fans. Do not get disappointed if Stanton is not in Cardinal red by the end of this week. If by the chance Stanton is dealt, it would take a pretty hefty deal, in my opinion, to snag him this early in the off-season.