Why I Hope The Red Sox Won't Trade for Giancarlo Stanton

The biggest off-season story in MLB will be where Giancarlo Stanton, the man likely to be named NL MVP, will play in 2018.

Stanton, who has played his entire 8-year MLB career with the Miami Marlins, will very likely have a different address as new owner Derek Jeter puts the team through yet another rebuild. At this point, there are four possible destinations for Stanton - the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants and the Boston Red Sox.

I know that Red Sox owners John Henry and Tom Werner have long coveted Stanton. But I hope they don't acquire him.

So why shouldn't the Red Sox, a team who finished last in the AL in home runs, not want to acquire a player who hit 59 home runs in 2017?

For starters, I doubt he will ever approach those numbers again. Stanton is injury prone. Four times in his eight year career, Stanton has missed 35 or more games due to injury. Mind you Stanton just turned 28. Imagine what will happen once his body starts to turn on him.

To get Stanton, the Red Sox would have to give up the farm and then some. In addition to their top prospects, the Sox would probably have to trade the likes of Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers or Mookie Betts possibly even a David Price or a Craig Kimbrel. Now I don't deny that Stanton brings much to the table, but I don't think he would make the Red Sox a better team.

I think he would be a better fit in either St. Louis or San Francisco. In Busch Stadium, Stanton could be another Albert Pujols. He would also bolster the Giants although I don't think they have much to offer the Marlins. Can't see Philly working out too well. Methinks he and Gabe Kapler would clash. But who doesn't clash with Kapler? I have a feeling we'll see another team in the mix. My guess would be the New York Mets. He'd be a nice fit there.

But I don't think he would be a fit in Boston. Getting Stanton strikes me as too much of a quick fix. The Red Sox need fine tuning rather than a major overhaul. But if the Red Sox can fire John Farrell despite winning a World Series title along with back to back AL East titles then I think pretty much no one is untouchable with the possible exception of Chris Sale.

Wherever Stanton ends up the one team that is guaranteed to be better will be the Marlins. I always thought the $325 million contract they gave to Stanton in 2014 hung around them like an albatross. They effectively put all their eggs in one basket. To me, the Marlins trading Stanton away is like when the Seattle Mariners dealt away Randy Johnson and Ken Griffey, Jr. For the price of one player, the Mariners could afford three or four quality players a la Bret Boone, John Olerud and Mike Cameron and win 116 games. That would surely happen if they got Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers and David Price from the Red Sox.