MLB Trade Rumors: Analyzing Buzz on Giancarlo Stanton, Ryon Healy and More

The Houston Astros' win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 World Series signaled the official end of the 2017 Major League Baseball season, with all 30 teams now turning their focus to next year.

There is often a great deal of player movement every offseason in MLB, both through free agency and trades. Playoff teams and fringe contenders from last season that want to get where Houston is at will look to add impact to their rosters.

Some teams will be looking to shed payroll and add talent to their farm systems, hoping to build their rosters from the ground up, are going to be active in trade discussions.

With the MLB stove on the verge of heating up heading into the winter meetings in December, here are the latest trade rumblings around the sport.

Another Marlins Fire Sale

Rob Foldy/Miami Marlins/Getty Images

Just as the new ownership settles in with the Miami Marlins, bringing with it a sense of optimism that was rarely felt in the past 14 years with Jeffrey Loria steering the ship, it appears as if things will feel the same to fans this offseason.

Per Barry Jackson and Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, the Marlins have created a plan to get their payroll down to $90 million that includes trading their biggest star.

"According to two sources, the Marlins will look to trade outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, who's due $25 million next season, and also will try to trade second baseman Dee Gordon and third baseman Martin Prado," Jackson and Spencer reported.

It will be a lot of work for the Marlins to get their payroll down to $90 million. Their roster commitments for 2018 have a combined salary of $131.7 million, per Cot's Baseball Contracts.

Moving Stanton, who is owed $25 million next season, would erase a good chunk of that. The problem is the remaining total value of his contract.

Trading for a soon-to-be 28-year-old coming off a career year with a .281/.376/.631 slash line, 59 home runs and tied for the NL lead with 6.9 FanGraphs wins above replacement sounds like a no-brainer on the surface.

Stanton, though, is signed through his age-37 season in 2027 with an opt out after 2020. If it were possible to ensure he would agree to opt out of his deal in three years, teams might be more inclined to negotiate a trade.

But pledging 10 years to a player who has only played at least 140 games four times in eight MLB seasons is a massive commitment.

Beyond Stanton, though, the Marlins don't have a lot of attractive trade chips to deal. Prado is owed $28.5 million over the next two seasons, which makes him someone the Marlins want to move, but what kind of market is he going to generate at that salary?

At 34 and coming off a season in which he played 37 games, hitting .250/.279/.357, Prado didn't inspire much confidence that he can still produce like a player who is being paid a hefty salary.

Kicking in money to facilitate a deal would negate the Marlins' plan to cut $41 million from their payroll.

Gordon might be the most attractive trade candidate Miami has to offer. A fourth-round draft pick in 2008, he is going to turn 30 in April and hit .308/.341/.375 with an MLB-leading 60 stolen bases last season.

The two-time All-Star is owed $37.9 million through 2020 with a $14 million team option for 2021. He's still a productive player with speed and a contract that matches with his performance.

Stanton is the biggest name the Marlins could deal, but his contract status and injury history make it difficult to see a team parting with the necessary package of star-level prospects it would presumably take to pull it off.

Athletics Dangling Ryon Healy

Orlin Wagner/Associated Press

With the Oakland Athletics having an abundance of first base/designated hitters on their roster, it would make sense for executive vice president Billy Beane to use one of those players to upgrade another spot on the team.

Per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the A's have told teams that Ryon Healy is available in a potential trade this offseason.

Healy is an all-power hitter coming off a .271/.302/.451 slash line with 29 doubles and 25 home runs in 149 games last season. He struck out 142 times and walked 23 times in 576 at-bats.

Unfortunately for the A's, just like last year's free-agent class, there is a glut of first baseman and designated hitters available, which will drive prices down.

Free agents include Carlos Santana, Eric Hosmer, Adam Lind, Logan Morrison, Mark Reynolds, Lucas Duda, Yonder Alonso, Jose Bautista, Mike Napoli, Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran.

Unless the Athletics are just inclined to move Healy for anything so they can push Khris Davis into the DH spot, the return isn't going to be significant because of that list of players he has to compete with for attention.

The upside for the A's is Healy is not eligible for arbitration until 2020 and won't be a free agent until after the 2023 season. That many years of team control could give him a small bump in value, allowing Oakland to receive a potential piece to use as it continues to build for the future.

Contract info via Cot's Baseball Contracts.