MLB Rumors: Analyzing Trade Buzz on Giancarlo Stanton, Chris Archer and More

Major League Baseball's hot-stove season has been anything but since the final out was recorded by the Houston Astros in the World Series on Nov. 1. 

The first real activity from any team came on Monday when T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reported the Texas Rangers were nearing a one-year deal with free-agent pitcher Doug Fister. 

Fortunately, with the winter meetings set to begin on Dec. 10, it shouldn't take too much longer before players and teams start making their moves. There is also the Shohei Ohtani domino that will fall, leading teams interested in his skill set to look in a different direction. 

Here are the latest trade rumblings to keep an eye on with the winter meetings looming next month. 

Red Sox Cool on Giancarlo Stanton

Rob Foldy/Miami Marlins/Getty Images

If the Boston Red Sox are going to seek an upgrade for their lineup this season, it may not come from a deal with the Miami Marlins for Giancarlo Stanton. 

Per Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox's interest in Stanton is "tepid." He does note that is their feeling "for the moment," so it's not as if they are completely opposed to making a significant push.

One potential problem facing the Red Sox and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski in a pursuit of Stanton is a diminished farm system. 

Dombrowski has made multiple marquee deals over the past two years that have sapped a lot of Boston's prospect star power. Trades for Craig Kimbrel, Drew Pomeranz and Chris Sale were not cheap. 

Using ESPN's Keith Law's top 10 Red Sox prospects from 2016, Yoan Moncada (No. 2), Anderson Espinoza (No. 4), Michael Kopech (No. 5) and Luis Alexander Basabe (No. 9) have all been dealt. 

Another possible issue for the Red Sox is Stanton's position in right field not lining up with an area they need to address. Mookie Betts is entrenched in right field, and Andrew Benintendi primarily plays in left field. 

Boston's biggest area of need this offseason is first base. Hanley Ramirez should be slotted in at designated hitter to avoid putting extra stress on his body after an injury-plagued 2017. 

Players like Carlos Santana and Eric Hosmer would better line up with what the Red Sox are looking for, though neither would likely provide a big boost to a team that ranked 26th in slugging percentage and 27th in home runs last season. 

Stanton's 59 homers in 2017 were 35 percent of the total home runs hit by the Red Sox (168), and his .631 slugging percentage was 172 points higher than any everyday player in Boston's lineup (Betts: .459). 

One thing Boston wouldn't have to worry about like a lot of teams in on Stanton is money. The Red Sox are projected to have $103 million come off their payroll following the 2018 season, excluding arbitration-eligible players. 

Stanton being owed $295 million over 10 years is a long-term problem, but Dombrowski has never been one to look at the big picture if it gets in the way of winning right now. 

Never underestimate Dombrowski's ability to swoop in at the 11th hour for a big deal. Right now, though, the Red Sox don't feel like a viable option to reel in the 2017 National League MVP. 

Rays Selling Again

Mark Cunningham/Getty Images

Despite record revenues for MLB in 2017, the Tampa Bay Rays remain unable to keep up with the times and are reportedly going to cut their payroll before the start of next season. 

Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays "are going to trade at least a couple of their bigger-name, higher-salaried players in their plan to cut payroll."

Topkin also mentions starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi and closer Alex Colome as being "popular in early conversations" so far. 

Chris Archer is the biggest name the Rays could move, but Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported on Nov. 13 the team has "no great interest" in dealing the 29-year-old. 

If the Rays want to start a full rebuild, trading Archer would be the easiest way to get a marquee package back. He's still in the prime of his career and is a proven workhorse with three straight years of at least 200 innings and 200 strikeouts. 

Archer's contract also makes it easy for the Rays to ask for a massive haul. He will make approximately $14 million total over the next two seasons, with two options for 2020-21 at $8.25 million. 

Odorizzi has two years of team control left, and Colome can't be a free agent until after 2020, so the Rays can expect a reasonable return for both if their only goal is to control the payroll. 

After going 80-82 last season, the Rays can realistically expect to contend for a wild-card spot. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are still the class of the American League East.

The Rays can't compete with their present talent or financial portfolios, so being aggressive on the trade market is their best way to avoid completely bottoming out. 

Braves Shopping Matt Adams

Matt York/Associated Press

The Atlanta Braves are looking to cash in on Matt Adams' successful 2017 season. 

Per ESPN's Buster Olney, the Braves have been "pushing" Adams on other teams leading up to Friday's deadline to tender a contract to arbitration-eligible players. 

Adams split time with the Braves and St. Louis Cardinals last season, posting a .274/.319/.522 slash line with a career-high 20 home runs in 131 games. 

The 29-year-old Adams is best served in a platoon role, having shown significant splits throughout his career. He owns an .828 OPS in 538 games against right-handed pitchers, compared to .593 in 208 games against left-handed pitchers. 

The Braves don't have an opening for Adams with Freddie Freeman locked in at first base. He's been a solid defender throughout his career, with 14 defensive runs saved in 3,424 innings as a first baseman, per FanGraphs.

Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors projects Adams to make $4.6 million through arbitration in 2018, so he's not going to be an expensive option for a team in need of help at first base or, for an AL team, designated hitter. 

Considering the expensive contracts it will presumably take to sign Hosmer and Santana, Adams is a solid, cheap alternative for teams to look at. 

Contract info via Cot's Baseball Contracts.