Boston Red Sox: Possible trade scenario for Giancarlo Stanton

The Boston Red Sox have been linked to Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton. It would cost a lot to acquire the power hitting righty, but the Red Sox have the pieces to make the trade.

When I was young and stupid (about 3 months ago), I wrote about why the Boston Red Sox should steer clear of Giancarlo Stanton.

Since then, I have matured. I’ve considered the options, and I’m all in on bringing the South Beach Slugger to Boston. The damage he would do is simply too much to pass up on.

In 2017, Stanton batted .281 with a league leading 59 home runs and 132 RBIs. The Marlins weren’t contenders, but that didn’t stop Stanton from being named National League MVP.

If you adjust those numbers to Fenway Park, you’re looking at roughly a .300 average with 75 home runs and 185 RBIs. Okay maybe not. But maybe!

The main argument against bringing Giancarlo to the Red Sox is his cost. The Red Sox would have to pick up his 10 year, $295 million contract, and probably give up some players as well.

But what if the Red Sox didn’t have to empty their farm system, break up the Killer B’s, or even pay all $295 million?

“Well, I’d say ‘Ben, you’re a genius! But how?’”

I’m glad you asked. If you take a look at the Red Sox roster, there’s a man who is owed a ludicrous amount of money and didn’t contribute much to the team in 2017.

That man is David Price. Here we go again.

The Price is Wrong

If you look at what David Price brought to the table in 2017, you won’t find anything close to what his contract would suggest.

Price started just 11 games this past season and did some relief work. I’ll go ahead right now and say that Price was nails out of the pen. He really turned it on late and showed his worth.

As a starter, however, Price wasn’t all that. In a starting role, Price posted a 5-3 record with a 3.38 ERA. He pitched 66 innings and had a WHIP of 1.27. He also struggled with injuries.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think those numbers are with $30 million a year.

My other argument against holding on to David Price is simply that the Red Sox don’t need him.

When they brought him into Boston in 2015, they needed a clear cut #1 starter. Since then, the Red Sox have acquired Chris Sale, who has proven to be top dog in the Sox rotation.

Along with Sale, Drew Pomeranz performed exceptionally well for the Red Sox as a starter. Price would undoubtedly bolster the Red Sox staff, but they don’t need him.

Take a look at what the Red Sox did in 2017. They won the AL East, and David Price had very little to do with it. Without Price, I think the Red Sox could get along just fine, even with the lineup they have.

My Proposal

My proposal is for the Red Sox to trade David Price, Blake Swihart, and Rusney Castillo to the Marlins in return for Giancarlo Stanton. The Red Sox would have to eat up some of Price’s remaining contract, but the cost to acquire Stanton would be significantly lower.

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Price, who is owed $157 million over the next 5 years, would help cut Stanton’s cost in half. Even if the Red Sox paid $10 million a year of Price’s contract, then Giancarlo’s price would only be about $207 million. Besides, the Marlins don’t exactly have a dominant pitching staff, so I think Price would be an attractive option for them.

Rusney Castillo, who is owed about $37 million over the next 3 years, would bring Stanton’s price down to about $170 million. The Marlins have expressed interest in outfielders, and Castillo fits the mould.

In 2017 in Pawtucket (AAA), Castillo hit .314 and 15 home runs in 87 games. The 30 year old outfielder may be overpaid for the Red Sox, but he could produce for the Marlins as a part of this package.

The final piece of the puzzle is Blake Swihart. The dynamic utility player has shown promise, but has not gotten it together just yet. With Christian Vazquez’s coming out party at the plate this past season, Swihart has been rendered obsolete as a future Red Sox catcher.

Swihart can be groomed to play any position. I believe the Marlins would like him as a part of the package.

So, after all is said and done, here is my trade proposal:

Boston Red Sox receive: Giancarlo Stanton

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Red Sox send: David Price (eat $10 million/year of his contract), Rusney Castillo, Blake Swihart

What’s Next?

If the Red Sox were to make this trade, they would have to sign another pitcher. Having saved roughly $120 million on Giancarlo Stanton, they could try their luck in the free agent market.

Dave Dombrowski has expressed no intention of staying under the luxury tax threshold, so it makes sense that he would try to sign a big name pitcher to fill Price’s void.

My target would be Jake Arrieta, though he might be a bit pricey (no pun intended).

After all is said and done, the Boston Red Sox would have Giancarlo Stanton, all of their young studs, a 1-2 punch of Chris Sale and Jake Arrieta. Oh, and a young coach who’s looking to shake up the entire MLB. I like the sound of that.

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Maybe we’ll throw in Rick Porcello too, just as a show of good faith. Kind of like Michael Scott offering to send Toby to Dunder Mifflin Utica. I can only dream.