MLB Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz Amid 2017 World Series

With a maximum of five games remaining in the 2017 World Series, the countdown has begun for the start of free agency and trades during Major League Baseball's offseason. 

Since the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers are the only teams still standing, 28 clubs are deep in preparation for what figures to be a busy offseason. Free agency is a significant gamble because it's impossible to predict future performance for players, but trades are just as risky. 

One benefit of a trade is teams know the player has a contract already signed. It's up to the front office to decide if the assets they would need to give up to acquire a player won't hurt their long-term outlook. 

Looking at where things stand, the Miami Marlins will be the focal point for teams looking to make a deal this winter. 

Derek Jeter, who is part of the new ownership group that purchased the Marlins in September, brought up the word "rebuild" at his introductory press conference, via Tim Healey of the Sun-Sentinel:

"Moving forward, there’s going to be at times unpopular decisions that we make on behalf of the organization. Just understand that every decision we make is for the betterment of this organization. We have that in mind. 

"The word teardown and rebuild — yeah, we are rebuilding a franchise. But I think a lot of times people associate those words with losing. You never go into a situation and the message is that ‘We’re going to lose.’"

But what exactly does that mean?

Well, per Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, Jeter and co-owner Bruce Sherman have "proposed cutting the team’s 2018 payroll to around $90 million."

That's a substantial amount to think about because the Marlins had a $115.4 million payroll in 2017, per Cot's Baseball Contracts, and they have salaries that will go up next season to increase their payroll. 

MLB Roster Resource estimates the Marlins will have $132.5 million in salary commitments in 2018 after arbitration figures are factored in. 

Using that as a jumping off point, that leaves the Marlins with approximately $40 million to shed if they want to reach the budget Jeter and Sherman have outlined. 

The obvious name to come up in trade discussion is Giancarlo Stanton, who had an MVP-caliber season in 2017 with 59 home runs, .631 slugging percentage and 132 RBI. 

Per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, though, it's Stanton's fellow outfielders who might be more attractive options to teams. 

"One rival says that if the Marlins want to procure young talent, they are better off considering deals for well-priced Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna," Heyman wrote.

As impressive as Stanton's 2017 season was, the Marlins will face problems if they try to move him. He's missed at least 39 games in four of the past six seasons, including missing a combined 131 games in 2015-16. 

Stanton, who will turn 28 on Nov. 8, is signed through 2027, and his salary explodes from $14.5 last season to $25 million and up to $32 million from 2023-25, per Baseball-Reference.com. 

By comparison, Yelich is signed through 2021 and will make a combined total of $16.75 million over the next two seasons, per Cot's Baseball Contracts. Marcell Ozuna is under team control for two more seasons before he hits free agency. 

Stanton did lead all National League outfielders with 6.9 FanGraphs wins above replacement in 2017, but Ozuna (4.8) and Yelich (4.5) ranked fourth and sixth, respectively. 

The easiest way for the Marlins to get their payroll down will be finding a deal for Stanton. He did have suitors during the regular season, including the San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. 

The Phillies might be at a disadvantage because the Marlins may not want to deal their biggest star to a division rival, but they are a fascinating team in this equation because they are set up perfectly to spend big. 

Odubel Herrera is the only Phillies player under contract in 2018. They have arbitration-eligible players who will add to their payroll, but there's nothing stopping them from making a play for at least one big free agent and trying to add another star via trade. 

The Cardinals have to decide if Stephen Piscotty, who missed 55 games with injuries in 2017, will be their long-term answer in right field. The Rangers would probably be better off pursuing a pitcher after trading Yu Darvish in July and finishing 21st with a 4.66 ERA as a team. 

The Giants need to start rebuilding after a disastrous 64-98 season, though it will be difficult to do if they don't want to trade Buster Posey or Madison Bumgarner because there isn't anything else on the MLB roster of substantial value.