Stanton cold on Giants, Cardinals

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SAN FRANCISCO — It has been a week since the Giants met with Giancarlo Stanton, and there is still no resolution in sight. That alone tells you much of what you need to know about Stanton’s preferences, and a report from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal on Thursday night confirmed that Stanton has not yet warmed to the Giants or Cardinals. 

Rosenthal wrote that, according to multiple major league sources, “Stanton does not want the San Francisco Giants or St. Louis Cardinals.” Both front offices met with Stanton and his representatives last week in Los Angeles and both teams have reached tentative trade agreements with the Marlins. Stanton, though, controls the process.  

The National League MVP has a full no-trade clause and it has long been believed that he would prefer to spend his prime years playing for the Dodgers, who are located a few miles from where Stanton grew up. Sources told NBC Sports Bay Area earlier this week that while the Giants are confident head-to-head against the Cardinals, they continue to view the rival Dodgers as their biggest competition for Stanton. 

Rosenthal echoed those sentiments and added that Stanton is also open to joining the New York Yankees. To this point, the Dodgers and Yankees have not gotten seriously involved in the chase for Stanton, but at some point the superstar could force the Marlins’ hand. 

Despite a situation that seemingly gets cloudier with every day Stanton continues to wait, the Giants have not indicated that they’ll put a timetable on the discussions and force Stanton to choose a team. Sources said this week that the Giants believe Stanton will inform them of a decision one way or the other by the start of the Winter Meetings, but as of Thursday, there had been no word from Stanton’s camp. The annual event starts Monday in Orlando, and at some point the Giants will feel pressure to move on to other business and try to fill other holes. 

For now, they haven’t reached that point, and Rosenthal’s report did include one note that should allow for continued optimism. “Stanton’s thinking is fluid, other sources say,” Rosenthal wrote, “he does not deal in absolutes.” 

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