Giancarlo Stanton holds all of the Cards (not a pun)

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St. Louis Cardinals fans have been lighting up social media with their wet dreams of acquiring Giancarlo Stanton. It is hard to blame them as it appears Stanton feels like the perfect fit and the club certainly has the prospect and financial resources to make a deal with the Marlins and bring the MVP to the Midwest.

Many fans, the forever pessimists, are already calling for the heads of team executives if they can not make a deal, suggesting coming in second again would simply not be acceptable.

If this were a normal situation, my feelings would be similar considering the franchise’s desperate need for an anchor and star. But this is not a normal situation.

Giancarlo Stanton holds all of the Cards, and that does not necessarily means it’s the St. Louis Cardinals.

Stanton can choose exactly where he wants to go, or if he wants to go at all, and there is little that Derek Jeter, John Mozeliak or the San Francisco Giants can do about it.

Jeter is desperate to slash payroll. The Cardinals and other teams know it. Stanton knows it too.

Some have put out some insane theories about how the Marlins could create leverage for themselves by trading everyone around Stanton and thus forcing him to the deal they want. But that is a Sega Genesis strategy if there ever has been one.

Others think if the Cardinals dangle enough via trade, aka Alex Reyes, that they can force a deal with the Marlins. Again, Stanton holds the leverage, not the Marlins. The prospects, money and everything else is irrelevant because all that matters is where Stanton wants to play. 

It is my belief that we are watching the LA Dodgers play the ultimate poker game by slow-playing their interest in the bomber because they know he wants to be there.


Stanton is from the area, and the Dodgers were in the World Series without him, so it would make sense that Stanton would accept a deal there possibly. And the Dodgers know it. They also have a perfect trade chip to give the Marlins in Yaisel Puig, who would give Jeter a Cuban star to sell to his fan base.

So it’s no surprise they have remained quiet, lurking in the background letting other teams (Cardinals included) blow their wad only for no deal to materialize, thus lowering their price. But it sounds like the Dodgers might not be quiet for much longer.


Cardinals fans should feel good about the team’s aggressiveness, but aggressiveness can only get them so far in this instance. The only chance the Cardinals have in my eyes is if Stanton does not want to be second fiddle to Clayton Kershaw in LA. 

Do not take it personally Cardinals fans. It’s might not be about STL. It might just be about LA for Stanton.

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