IT'S OFFICIAL: Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton Agree to 13 Year/$325 Million Deal

[nny]

Not signing him is the best option.

Who's your 1b?

Average 2.5 WAR past 3 seasons. Lot better than any in house options, and it's between him and Morse in FA. I'm cool with Morse too; his WARs are only bad because he's a terrible fielding OFer (where most of his time is) but seems fine at 1b

[lou]

Who's your 1b?

Average 2.5 WAR past 3 seasons. Lot better than any in house options, and it's between him and Morse in FA. I'm cool with Morse too; his WARs are only bad because he's a terrible fielding OFer (where most of his time is) but seems fine at 1b

It's a cost thing.

Valbuena on the Cubs is a 2 WAR and perfect for RHP, he doesn't cost $12 million a year.

I go all in on Shields, sign a veteran infielder for $2-4 million a year range on a 1 year deal, and trade Cishek, Eovaldi, and maybe even Heaney to the Cubs for whatever bats they'll trade, mainly Starlin Castro and Valbuena. Or insert whatever other team needs pitching. Those 3 would net A LOT, especially together. We're so perfect for the Cubs right now.

I think Heaney, Cishek, Eovaldi, and throw in Jones as a salary dump in a package will get pretty awesome things from someone, and I'm perfectly content with a Alvarez, Veteran, Cosart, Koehler, Hand (DeScalfani, Nicolino) rotation until Fernandez is back.

Payroll looks really good for years even with a $20 million Shields and escalating Castro/Stanton contracts

[emkayseven]

Giancarlo Stanton’s agent told me this afternoon he expects Stanton to be here all 13 years of his backloaded contract, which has an opt-out after six seasons, and that Stanton agreed to take a salary well below market value for the next three seasons because he wants to win and wants the Marlins to have enough money to augment the roster.

Meanwhile, the Marlins have told people they plan to dramatically increase payroll by year four of the contract, when Stanton’s salary skyrockets, according to another person briefed on their plans.

Agent Joel Wolfe said Stanton would not have taken the richest contract in baseball history (13 years, $325 million) if the Marlins hadn’t been committed to winning. Stanton also likes living in South Florida, even though he spends part of the offseason in his native Southern California.

Wolfe said Stanton “wanted to know” that the Marlins “were going to create a winning culture.”

And Wolfe said if Stanton “was going to make those kind of demands, he couldn’t rightfully also demand the team pay him his full value [the next three years] and take up 50 to 70 percent of the team’s payroll over the next two or three years. This gave them flexibility, given the state of their current TV deal,” which is among the worst in baseball.

As a result, Stanton agreed to take $6.5 million next season (well below the $13 million he likely would have made in arbitration), $9 million in 2016 and $14.5 million in 2017, according to two sources with direct knowledge.

In seasons four through six of the deal, Stanton will pocket $25 million, $26 million and $26 million. Stanton then has an opt-out clause, after 2020.

The next six years of the contract, after the opt-out, include salaries of $29 million, $32 million in years 8, 9 and 10, $29 million in year 11 and $25 million in year 12. In year 13, the Marlins can pay Stanton $25 million or exercise a $10 million buyout.

But money alone “was not enough,” Wolfe said, adding the 13-year contract was Stanton’s idea.

We hear Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria pitched Stanton and gave him specific details about Loria’s plan to improve the team during a meeting in Los Angeles in the past month.

That plan includes adding another hitter and likely another starting pitcher, among other moves. As noted in this space last month, first basemen Adam LaRoche (.259, 26 homers and 92 RBI last season) is among the Marlins’ free agent targets.

The Marlins also have inquired about high-end free agent starting pitcher James Shields, though it would be surprising if the Marlins could meet his demands, reportedly $20 million a year. And agents for several other quality free agent starters said Tuesday they were expecting to hear from the Marlins.

The Marlins, expecting a payroll in the $60 million range next season, have less than $48 million in projected payroll for 2015, leaving them with at least $12 million to supplement the roster and potentially more if they can dump first baseman Garrett Jones, due $5 million next season, and catcher Jarrod Saltamacchia, due $7 million. The Marlins were disappointed in both Jones and Saltalamacchia last season.

They plan to increase payroll to more than $100 million by 2018 by using the money from what they expect will be a much more lucrative local TV deal.

Their Fox Sports TV deal expires after 2020 and pays the Marlins about $14 million per season. But the Marlins want to restructure and extend that contract in the next couple of years and hope to triple their annual local TV revenue.

Meanwhile, the Marlins have told Christian Yelich’s camp that they intend to make an offer that would extend beyond November 2019, when he’s eligible for free agency. If the money is right, Yelich would be interested, especially because he’s close with Stanton and knows Stanton will be here for a long time.

They’ve also broached an extension with shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, who cannot be a free agent until after 2018.

### Besides a no-trade clause, Stanton's contract also includes incentives clauses, such as for winning MVP or making the All-Star team.

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sport...#storylink=cpy

[Swifty]

That's a ridiculously good contract.

If they want to make a full on move into semi-contender status, all it takes is signing Lester (because a 1-2-3 of Fernandez, Lester, Alvarez looks pretty good for the NL). If they want to make a move into super-contender status it's that + an infield bat (Hanley?).

[Namaste]

The playoff drought ain't gonna reach 15 years, boys.

[emkayseven]

Harold Reynolds just mentioned it, Rosenthal said he hasn't heard anything but nothing would surprise him with Miami especially if Hanley were willing to switch positions

[Big Z]

What would you guys offer Hanley? 5/$75MM?

Also, do you go to Stanton and ask if he thinks such an addition improves the club?

[BigGameFish]

I wouldn't want to pay Hanley guaranteed $. He's too lazy. At times he looked like one of the best hitters I've seen next to Miggy and Manny Ramirez, but the risk is too high I think.
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Anyone watching the press conf? Loria is such a douche. Reading the entire preliminary speech.

[Miamarlin21]

Jeffrey Loria looked like a boss with that answer.

[Namaste]

Hill dodged the payroll question

[Miamarlin21]

$69,000 a day. These reports are asking some stupid questions.

[Namaste]

$69K a day guy needs to die

[BigGameFish]

Jeffrey Loria looked like a boss with that answer.

I wholeheartedly agree with his response. That team wasnt going anywhere and we're better off now.

[marlinsfan24]

Harold Reynolds just mentioned it, Rosenthal said he hasn't heard anything but nothing would surprise him with Miami especially if Hanley were willing to switch positions

#BringHanleyHome

[Bobbob1313]

and take up 50 to 70 percent of the team’s payroll over the next two or three years.

This is concerning.
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The Marlins, expecting a payroll in the $60 million range next season,

god dammit, I hate this