GIANCARLO! Bring Him To Me

Many Padre fans had expressed discontent with the Padres inactive winter. I have not been as hard on the front office, as I do not believe in overpaying for very flawed free agents. However, acquiring Giancarlo Stanton is just the splash the Padres need to make.

For one, he could be available. There have been reports that the Marlins will “listen” on calls for the young slugger. I am not sure what the GM definition of “listening” in on a player is, but one could assume that the Marlins are not hanging up on potential buyers of Stanton. Stanton is exactly the young superstar the Padres need.

Sept 6, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) heads back to the dugout during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Stanton is an absolute monster. At the age of 23, he is one of the most feared power hitters in all of baseball. Last season, Stanton swatted 37 bombs and lead the National League in slugging percentage. I have wonderful dreams of Stanton and Chase Headley hitting back-to-back in the order. My God.

Stanton is also controllable. He will not be a free agent until after the 2017 season. If the Padres were to acquire the young slugger, they could look to extend him. Although any extension with Stanton could easily exceed $100 million.

The Padres would surely have to empty their farm system to acquire Stanton. So what? Prospects are often suspects and I would give up just about anyone to get Stanton. Any package would start with the Padres top prospects. The Padres don’t have a typical blue-chipper, but here is the framework of a deal I would present: 3B Jedd Gyorko,OF  Rymer Liriano, SP Casey Kelly and two others.

In this deal, the Marlins get 2 top 100 prospects, a highly regarded pitcher in Casey Kelly and perhaps two lesser prospects. The deal I proposed still might not be close to enough for the Marlins to pull the trigger on a deal. Perhaps I am being completely unrealistic, but Stanton would build anticipation and buzz around San Diego.