Written by Dayn Perry at CBS Sports.com
Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton has cleared waivers, reports Yahoo’s Jeff Passan. This means Stanton is free to be traded to any team. This new reality, of course, opens up a host of possibilities, so let’s explore the many considerations surrounding this tantalizing hypothetical …
That Stanton cleared waivers isn’t necessarily a big deal
It’s the August waiver period, which means for a player to be traded he must first pass through waivers. If no team claims him, then he’s free to be dealt to any team. If a team does claim him, then that team has exclusive negotiating rights. There’s a risk, though, as the team that currently holds the player’s contract can in essence force a straight salary dump after a player is claimed. Also, these are revocable waivers, so if a player gets claimed, then his current team can simply pull him back and put a stop to the entire process. Veterans — even stars like Stanton — are regularly placed on waivers in August, so in that sense, the Stanton report isn’t notable. All that said, the Marlins do now have until the end of the month (so the acquiring team would have Stanton available for the postseason) to trade Stanton should they decide to attempt it in earnest.
Stanton’s contract includes a full no-trade clause
This is pretty standard for major contracts these days, and it’s more a device of leverage rather than genuine impediment. Such provisions can be negotiated around by the team trading for the player in question. The important thing is for the player to be open to a trade. In Stanton’s case, he has been at times visibly frustrated by the direction of the Marlins, and the chance to go to a contender would surely have some allure. Of course, that no-trade clause isn’t the most notable thing about Stanton’s deal …
Stanton’s contract is a massive obligation
Stanton is shin-deep in a massive 13-year, $325 million contract. It’s a heavily backloaded deal, and he’s still owed almost $300 million of it. Framed another way, said contract will run through his age-37 season (assuming his $25 million option for 2028 is bought out). Trading for that kind of debt is, suffice it to say, a risky proposition. Compounding that risk is the fact that Stanton has an opt-out after the 2020 season. At that point, he’ll have more than $200 million left on his deal, but if he feels he can best that figure on the open market, then he’ll likely exercise the opt-out. If he doesn’t, then he won’t. That kind of arrangement, in essence, puts all the risk on the team. More than anything else, the way upside and the downside is allocated by that opt-out is the biggest obstacle to a Stanton trade. Certainly, the Marlins can grease the skids by agreeing to kick in cash in the event that Stanton doesn’t use his opt-out, but even that’s complicated by the club’s current straits …
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