Well, this will take some of the sting out of losing Shohei Ohtani today:
The #STLCards today issued the following statement regarding the pursuit of Giancarlo Stanton. pic.twitter.com/rZekmW2sOf
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) December 8, 2017
First of all, I really do want to credit the Cardinals for making their best go at acquiring a player like Stanton, despite the obvious hurdles. They got a deal together, the Marlins were willing to accept it, and then the Cardinals tried to convince Stanton to accept it.
And then that’s where the lulz come in, because Stanton rejected the deal, and officially will not come to the Cardinals.
The Cardinals will now move on with the rest of their offseason, which could include targeting another big bat like that of Eric Hosmer, for one example.
The Marlins will keep trying to move Stanton, though their options will be very limited if Stanton is also going to reject a trade to the Giants (the other team with whom the Marlins essentially have a deal). If he’s set on waiting for the Dodgers or Yankees, the Marlins may have to decide they’re over a barrel, and hold Stanton until the trade deadline.