It was reported yesterday that the Miami Marlins were discussing a $300 million contract extension with Giancarlo Stanton, which would be the biggest in the history of sports. The Texas Rangers already executed extensions with two members of their front office.
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal first reported news of the potential $300 million deal on Thursday, and he added early this morning that the talks have increased to $320 million. One source told Rosenthal the deal may reach 12 years and $320 million, which would likely keep Stanton a Marlin for the rest of his career. Joel Wolfe, Stanton's agent, declined to comment, but the sources say the ongoing talks are a good sign.
Although Stanton's season came to an end on September 11 after he was hit in the face by a pitch and suffered a laceration and facial fractures, the then-24-year-old batted .288/.395/.555 with 37 home runs and 105 RBIs during 2014. He was runner-up to Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw for the NL MVP, but earned his first career Silver Slugger award and was an All-Star for the second time in his five-year career. If the Marlins can lock up Stanton for the long-term, they'll be sure to get his most productive years. He already has 154 career home runs at the age of 25.
While the Marlins work on that extension, the Rangers have completed two of their own. The team announced three-year extensions for both general manager Jon Daniels and assistant general manager Thad Levine on Friday. The news was first reported by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports and was then confirmed by Jeff Wilson of the Fort-Worth Star Telegram.
Daniels has been the team's general manager since he was 28 years old, when he became the youngest GM in history in 2005. He was also named president of baseball operations in 2013 and then endured the team's dreadful 2014 campaign that ended with a 67-95 record and second-worst in the MLB. The Rangers suffered incessant injury troubles and then witnessed manager Ron Washington resign in September.
Prior to 2014, the Rangers rattled off five consecutive winning seasons, including two AL West division titles. They made two World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011, but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. Daniels' work with the team has seen tremendous dividends, since Texas hadn't made the playoffs since 1999 before he came aboard and led them the postseason in 2010. The Rangers were a losing team from 2000-2008, but Daniels quickly turned that around, which earned him a contract extension.
