Giancarlo Stanton isn't a free agent until after the 2016 season, but the Miami Marlins are focusing on locking him up beyond that date. The team's president of baseball operations, Mike Hill, says the two sides have opened contract discussions. Meanwhile, in Texas, the Rangers have added a former player to their front office.
Stanton is a finalist for the National League MVP award after posting a great stat line in 2014, slashing .288/.395/.555 with 37 home runs and 105 RBIs. The slugger still led the NL in home runs as well as slugging percentage (.555) and was second in RBIs despite missing the second half of September after he was hit in the face by a pitch in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers. He suffered a laceration and multiple facial fractures that required surgery, effectively ending his season.
The Marlins are willing to go against their front office's philosophy and offer Stanton a lucrative multi-year contract that would keep him in Miami for the long-term. He was a bargain for just $6.5 million in 2014 and he's arbitration eligible this offseason, so locking him up for the future makes the most sense in Hill's eyes. In five seasons with Miami, the 24-year-old has maintained a .271 batting average with 154 home runs, 399 RBIs and 318 walks. He has emerged as one of the league's best players in 2014 and should command an immense contract in the $200 million range, so we'll see how high the Marlins are willing to go.
To put it in perspective, Miami's biggest payroll was $101 million in 2012 when they attempted to change their ways by making a splash in free agency and signing shortstop Jose Reyes (six years, $106 million), starting pitcher Mark Buehrle (four years, $58 million) and closer Heath Bell (three years, $27 million). That didn't work out and all three players were gone by the 2013 season. Their next largest payroll was $60 million in 2005, according to BaseballProspectus.com. But now that they have an obvious franchise player and have moved to a decent market, they have an opportunity to begin a transformation.
"He's the MVP in my eyes,'' Hill said in this ESPN article. "There are probably some things that will impact our negotiations that still need to be determined. But we reached out and let his representative know we're ready to engage.''
As the Marlins attempt to show their loyalty, the Texas Rangers have already done so by bringing back former player Michael Young to join the team's front office. Young played 13 seasons with the Rangers and batted .301 while setting team records for games played (1,823), hits (2,230), runs (1,085), doubles (415), triples (55) and total bases (3,286).
Rangers' general manager Jon Daniels previously spoke to Young about the managerial vacancy in the offseason, but Young wasn't interested. Now he'll join the organization as a special assistant to Daniels, which was expected after the two had a number of meetings. The Rangers' decision to bring Young to the front office may have been inspired by the Astros' decision to hire former longtime player Craig Biggio to the same position, which they've seen much success with.
"Michael will be a significant asset to our baseball operations group in a variety of areas," Daniels said in a statement. "He has already been involved in our major league managerial search and player discussions this fall. I look forward to working with him as we prepare and plan for 2015."