Wacha, Martinez included in Cardinals’ offer for Stanton

The St. Louis Cardinals are not out of the bidding for Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton, multiple sources are reporting.

While Stanton, a native of Los Angeles, has made clear his preference to play on the West Coast, the Marlins are said to be more attracted to the Cardinals’ trade offer.

As reported last week, the centerpiece of the Cardinals’ package includes right-handed pitching prospect Sandy Alcantara. Wilmer Reina, editor of the Venezuela baseball site Los bigleaugers, reports the offer also includes right-hander Michael Wacha and outfielder/first baseman Jose Martinez.

Jon Morosi of the MLB Network also tweeted that the Marlins have agreed in principle to offers from both the Cardinals and San Francisco Giants, who have packaged second baseman Joe Panik, outfield prospect Chris Shaw and right-handed pitching prospect Tyler Beede.

According to Craig Mish of SiriusXM radio in Miami, the Cardinals’ offer also includes taking on a larger portion of Stanton’s contract than the Giants’ proposal.

With full no-trade authority, however, the decision is Stanton’s. He could reject both trades.

Stanton led the majors with 59 home runs and 132 RBIs and was voted the National League’s Most Valuable Player. The 10 years and $295 million remaining on his contract, however, has made him expendable to the Marlins’ new ownership group, which has made public its intent to slash payroll.

Officials from both the Cardinals and Giants met with Stanton’s representation Friday. The St. Louis contingent included Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Wacha, 25, was the Cardinals’ first pick of the 2012 draft. He won 17 games with a 3.38 ERA in 2015, but slumped with chronic shoulder problems in 2016. He rebounded this past season with a 12-9 record and 4.13 ERA.

Martinez was a 29-year-old rookie in 2017, surprising the Cardinals with a .309 average and 14 home runs in 272 at-bats.

Alcantara made his major-league debut as a September call-up and is ranked by MLB.com as the Cardinals’ No. 9 prospect. Between Surprise in the Arizona Fall League and Class AA Springfield, Alcantara had a record of 8-7.

No timeline has been reported as to when Stanton could make a decision. Baseball’s annual winter meetings begin Sunday.

This story was originally published December 4, 2017 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Wacha, Martinez included in Cardinals’ offer for Stanton."