MLB Trade Rumors: Breaking Down Buzz on Giancarlo Stanton, Randal Grichuk, More

While the MLB postseason has been thrilling, the majority of the league is already looking ahead to next season. Between free agency and the trade market, 26 MLB organizations are already examining the moves they could potentially make to ensure they are playing in October come next season.

One player sure to be at the center of trade rumors all postseason and offseason is Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton. And the fact that Stanton could potentially be moved makes sense from two different perspectives.

Firstly, Stanton is a superstar and plenty of teams would love to acquire his services. According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the San Francisco Giants have shown the most interest in acquiring the slugger, with the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and a few other teams showing interest in Stanton over the summer.

One reason the Giants might make sense for Stanton, according to Heyman, is that the team could turn things around and be a contender quicker than a team like the Phillies. It's believed that Stanton doesn't want to be a part of a rebuild.

But Stanton also reportedly is interested in playing for a coastal team, leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox as possibilities as well.

That's the first thing to take into consideration in these rumors. The second angle comes from the fact that the Miami Marlins reportedly want to trim their payroll from the $115 million mark in 2017 down to somewhere closer to the $90 million range in 2018, per Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.

Stanton, meanwhile, is due $25 million next year and $295 million over the remainder of his contract.

While other players could be on the move as well—Spencer cited others such as Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich and Dee Gordon as potential trade chips—Stanton would be the player to move if cutting payroll is the team's primary goal for 2018. Not only would moving him help Miami accomplish that goal, he could also bring back a solid package of prospects for the Marlins.

After all, Stanton is fresh off a season that saw him hit .281 with 59 homers and 132 RBI. He's in the peak of his career, turning 28 in November, and when he's healthy is arguably the best power hitter in baseball. 

So Stanton could very well be on the move. If nothing else, he'll be the center of rumors for the foreseeable future.

On the less high-profile front, the St. Louis Cardinals has something of a logjam in the outfield, with seven players capable of filling out three spots. That could leave Randal Grichuk on the trade block.

According to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, "In an effort to reduce roster redundancies, the Cardinals are expected to dangle various outfielders as possible trade pieces while the organization seeks to address other deficiencies."

Langosch described Grichuk's fit with the organization going forward as "tenuous." The outfielder himself even appeared to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

"No. Not necessarily," he said when asked if he saw himself in the Cardinals' plans for next year. "But who knows. Anything is possible. It's going to be a fun offseason. It's going to be an interesting offseason to see what direction the club goes with a lot of guys. I'm excited to see what the future holds."

The 26-year-old had an up-and-down season with the Cardinals in 2017, hitting .238 with 22 homers and 59 RBI in 122 games. As Langosch wrote, he's flashed bursts of major upside but suffered from just as many bouts of inconsistency. 

Given the team's bevy of options in the outfield, it's the latter that very well could make him expendable this offseason.