Colorado Rockies: why Giancarlo Stanton needs to be a Rockie

Perhaps the most intriguing person who could be on the move this offseason is Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. In 2017, he won the National League Most Valuable Player Award. Even playing half of his games in a cavernous Marlins Park, Stanton still managed to hit 59 home runs and knocked in 132 RBI. He had an OPS+ of 165 and a slashline of .281/.376/.631. But, with Coors Field, those numbers still could skyrocket.

The Miami Marlins, under new owners and new CEO Derek Jeter, have said that they will most likely be cutting down payroll. The player with the largest contract by far is outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. He is owed $285 million in the next 10 seasons with a $25 million option for 2028. However, he has an opt-out after the 2020 season. The NL MVP has full no-trade protection so, potentially, he could block a trade anywhere. However, there are some reasons why the Rockies should try to get him.

As Jon Tayler of Sports Illustrated noted a few days ago, with the thin air at Coors Field, he could, realistically, hit 50 home runs just at Coors Field alone. He hit 31 of his 59 home runs in 2017 at Marlins Park, a noted pitcher’s park.

In 23 career games at Coors Field, he has a .286/.375/.714 slashline with 10 home runs and 24 RBI. These numbers 33 percent better than his career average numbers. Tayler says that just for the entertainment of it, he says: “I command [Commissioner] Rob Manfred to make Giancarlo Stanton a Rockie, and reward us all with the single greatest power season in league history.”

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How a deal could realistically get done

If the Rockies were to try to acquire Stanton, getting a deal done relies on two things: the relationship between money that the Rockies pay and prospects and perhaps the biggest thing is Stanton himself.

The Rockies farm system was ranked eighth in baseball prior to the 2017 season by MLB.com so they could have enough to trade for Stanton if they want the Marlins to pick up some of the money. However, since the Rockies have some room to work (with the contracts of Carlos Gonzalez and Jose Reyes off of the table), they could pick up some or most of his contract. With that, they would not have to give the Marlins as many prospects.

The main issue, however, is Stanton himself. He is from Los Angeles area so, most likely, he will want to go to the Dodgers. They have the prospects, money, location, and they went to Game 7 of the World Series. He will probably view the Rockies with less of a chance of winning, even though they made the playoffs. Obviously, Denver is a lot closer to Los Angeles than Miami but, still, Denver is not as close to LA as LA itself.

Final Thoughts

Giancarlo Stanton coming to Denver would be a great idea, in theory, but the biggest obstacle is Stanton himself. The prospects and money could probably be worked out but the final decision on where Stanton goes is up to Stanton.

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If he were to be willing to come to Denver, he very well could be a Rockie.