Choosing

[klaiggeb]

According to what's on NBC Bay Area, the Marlins and the Giants HAVE agreed on the players to be included in a Stanton deal... but Stanton is the hold up.

IS he holding out for an LA offer?

IF...IF he is manipulating the Marlins in this manner, I hope they ram it right up his fanny and play the same horse manure games he's playing.

IF...

As I've said before, LA signs this guy, and we're done for a long, long time.

boly

[rog]

Is Stanton holding out for an LA offer? Almost certainly. The question is how long he'll wait, and the Giants are expecting a decision by this weekend.

As for manipulating the Marlins, just how is he doing that? He has a no-trade contract. As far as we know, he's not trying to get MORE from the teams that want to acquire him (although Mark brings up a great point about the taxes).

And just how would the Marlins ram the situation up his fanny, anyway? He can foil the Marlins' plan to get rid of salary (at least his part in the plan, which is huge).

Stanton isn't manipulating anyone. In fact, he's almost certainly going to agree to waive his no-trade contract. The question is for which team? He very likely would like it to be the team he rooted for growing up, but the Dodgers are trying to cut salary. They may need money to go after Bryce Harper and/or extend Clayton Kershaw. Stanton is one of the best players in the game, but he hasn't been as good as that pair.

The Marlins agreed to pay Stanton for 10 more seasons -- unless he opted out three years from now. He is considering doing them a favor by waiving his right to stay. As far as we know, he's not asking for extra money to do that.

Just how is he manipulating the Marlins? You almost always seem to go against the player in these situations, Boly. If the Marlins wanted the ability to trade Stanton whenever they wanted, they likely could have at least gotten a lesser no-trade contract by paying him more money.

You believe people should live up to their contracts, don't you? What has Stanton done -- or even threatened to do -- to not live up to his?

Your point that if the Dodgers sign Stanton they will likely be formidable for a long time is a good one. That wouldn't preclude the Giants' going after Harper and/or Kershaw a year from now though. It wouldn't preclude their signing Ohtani.

If we look at the Dodgers and the Giants since the new ownership took over five years ago, we see them going in opposite directions.

The Dodgers spent a ton of money to be able to compete, but put in place a plan to perpetuate their team by building from within. Because they've been successful in doing just that, they're spending less money now.

Yet they have a much better team than the Giants, who have been unable to develop from within and are now caught in the position of themselves having to spend a lot of money to be able to compete at a high level.

Hopefully the Giants will do as the Dodgers did and focus on building their future from within. Unless a team builds from within, they almost always have to either overspend or rebuild. That's where the Dodgers were when the new ownership came in. It's also where the Giants are right now.

[rog]

Boly, when you think about how Stanton is manipulating the Marlins, you might want to consider what Mark brought up. If Stanton agrees to play for one of the California teams, he'll take an effect pay cut of millions of dollars.

If we consider asking one's employer to live up to their contract, then yes, Stanton is manipulating.

[rog]

Meant to say that if one considers asking one's employer to live up to their contract manipulating, then yes, Stanton is manipulating.

Using that definition, it seems likely almost all of us is either manipulating right now or has done so in the past.

I guess we should just start calling each other manipulators.