Astros Rumors: Giancarlo Stanton would approve trade to Houston

If the Astros are interested in Giancarlo Stanton, he is interested in joining them too!

Remember earlier this week when some guy named Craig Mish on Sirius XM said the Astros tried to trade for Giancarlo Stanton. After the two teams explored a trade, they both walked away not expecting a deal to get done. The Giants and Cardinals both were working on deals, but Stanton doesn’t seem interested.

You would have thought that the Marlins front office would have run the idea past Stanton. It’s very much out in the open that they are trying to move him. Keep him in the loop, but oh well. The Marlins are still looking to deal.

Who would Stanton accept a trade to? There is only one person who knows that answer, and he used to go by Mike. Unlike Shohei Ohtani, Stanton is looking to go to a big market team close to winning the World Series. According to Mish again, there are four teams he would accept a trade to.

While that may take some of the leverage away from the Marlins, it could also lead to more focus on reaching a deal with those teams. The question is, are those teams interested?

Who are the four teams?

The first team he would accept a trade to are the Dodgers. They took the Astros to Game 7 of the World Series, so you know they are ready to win. Stanton would become that hitter that the Dodgers lacked in the World Series. Pair him up with Cody Bellinger and Yasiel Puig that would be a dynamic outfield.

The second team he would approve a trade to would be the Yankees. Like the Astros, they have a nice balance of young players with veterans. Aaron Judge finished second in the AL MVP race, while Stanton won the NL MVP race. Adding that bat to the lineup could prove challenging to the Astros next postseason. I would personally not cheer for Stanton anymore.

The third team could be the Cubs, whose team took a slight step back after winning the World Series in 2016. The Dodgers beat the Cubs to advance to face the Astros in the World Series. I can see him making himself a great career at Wrigley Field.

Now, the fourth team Stanton would reportedly accept a trade to are the Houston Astros. Yes, Mish is the one who reported that they Astros already attempted to trade for the slugger. However, he reported Stanton was not an option. So why is this news? If Stanton is interested in coming to Houston, the Astros may reopen talks.

Will the Astros look at it again?

There were times that the Astros offense dominated and others where they were shut down. Add a bat like Stanton to the lineup and the chances of reaching the World Series again in 2018. Would the Astros be interested in adding that payroll until 2028?

As Ric Sweeney wrote recently, the Astros are already facing a financial apocalypse in a few seasons. Why add Stanton’s salary to the equation? He’s one of the most powerful right-handed bats in the game. As Jim Crane said this offseason, they have thought about how well he would do at Minute Maid Park.

Next: Team out on Stanton after exploring a trade at some point

The Astros have been after Stanton for several seasons. It’s still is unlikely that they would trade for Stanton, but this could give the Astros more room for negotiation. Maybe the original report was a negotiation ploy as well? With the Winter Meetings next week, who knows what will happen. The Dodgers could be the favorites though.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***