Stanton rejects Cards, Giants; NY bound?

MIAMI -- The two most aggressive clubs in pursuit of Giancarlo Stanton announced on Friday they are moving in other directions. The Cardinals and Giants, who had separate trade agreements in place with the Marlins to acquire the reigning National League Most Valuable Player, each sent out statements saying they no longer are in the mix for the four-time All-Star outfielder.
Stanton is reportedly headed to the Yankees, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, who said early on Saturday morning that the parameters of a deal were "done."
St. Louis and San Francisco's proposed deals were contingent on Stanton waiving his no-trade clause. Once the 28-year-old declined, the two NL clubs announced they were no longer interested.
"We had an agreement to acquire Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Marlins, subject to him waiving his no-trade clause," the Cardinals' statement read. "We have been notified that he will not waive his no-trade clause to come to St. Louis. While we are disappointed in his decision, we will continue to make every effort to improve our club for the upcoming season. Unfortunately we were not able to convince Stanton to waive his no-trade clause and join the Cardinals. We felt this was a great landing spot for him, but it was not meant to be."

The Giants' statement read: "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."
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Speculation has been high all week that there could be resolution to the Stanton sweepstakes before the Winter Meetings. Considering the weeks of legwork put in by the Giants and Cardinals, either of those clubs were realistic options to finalize a deal before the 30 clubs gathered in Central Florida.

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Under new ownership, the Marlins are in the process of redirecting their roster after finishing 77-85 in 2017.
Stanton had arguably the greatest individual season in Marlins history, setting franchise records for home runs (59) and RBIs (132). He led the Majors in both categories and became just the eighth player in history to reach 59 home runs.
The 28-year-old also became the first Marlins player to be named MVP.

For Miami, 2017 featured several stellar individual seasons, but not much team success. Marcell Ozuna was an NL All-Star left fielder, a Silver Slugger Award winner and a Gold Glove Award winner, while Dee Gordon -- who was just traded to Seattle -- led the Majors in stolen bases with 60.
But the Marlins finished 20 games behind the Nationals in the NL East and 10 games off the pace for the second NL Wild Card spot.
Ideally, the Marlins would like to retain center fielder Christian Yelich, but that could change depending on potential trade offers. Miami is also open to listening to offers for Ozuna, who could also attract interest from the Giants or Cardinals and command a hefty haul of prospects. The 27-year-old is projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to make about $11 million in arbitration, and he is eligible for free agency in 2020.
Stanton's salary is increasing to $25 million in 2018, and $295 million remains on the final 10 years of his contract. Complicating Stanton's situation is his full no-trade clause, as well as the fact that he can opt out in '20.

As the Stanton scenario moves along, the Marlins on Thursday made their first major trade with Derek Jeter as chief executive officer, dealing Gordon to the Mariners for three prospects. Seattle is picking up the remaining $38 million on Gordon's contract, and Miami also sent the Mariners $1 million in international bonus pool money.
For Gordon, the Marlins landed Nick Neidert, a 20-year-old right-hander who advanced to Double-A last season and was ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the Mariners' No. 2 prospect. Miami also picked up infielder Christopher Torres, ranked No. 7 in Seattle's system, and right-hander Robert Dugger. Neidert slots in at No. 4 on the Marlins' Top 30 Prospects list, while Torres is at No. 11.
Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill spoke generally about Stanton's situation on a conference call after Gordon was traded.

"I don't comment on speculation," Hill said. "When there is a need to make a statement, we'll make a statement."
With any possible trades, the Marlins have repeatedly said they have no timetable.