The saga to obtain Giancarlo Stanton continues on around the league as the fans of the Milwaukee Brewers are forced to sit and watch.
It is true that once upon a time I saw a thin line connecting the Milwaukee Brewers and the posterboy for power. But all that is in the past. Sure, seeing Stanton roam right field in Miller Park would be a sight to behold, however it is merely a pipedream now. Only video game GMs will see him play for the Crew.
There is a bit of good news attached to that, however. While Milwaukee was never actually in play for Stanton, that never really would have mattered. Because of the ever pesky no trade clause, there are a limited number of teams that even have a remote shot. And it is hard to believe the Brewers would ever have been one of those teams.
Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald writes that Stanton has no interest in being shipped of to Boston. There was one other team added to that statement, however. The St. Louis Cardinals are not on his radar either.
That is huge for the Milwaukee Brewers. It keeps the slugging, talented, monster of a hitter out of the NL Central. Of course, things change. Until there is a public statement from Stanton it is hard to fully believe anything. That being said, there is cause for cautious celebration.
This by no means ends the Stanton saga. In fact it probably just extends it. But it would be worse to see Birds on a Bat across his chest for the next several years. Remember, he hit 59 homers last season. I’m not sure how much the Brewers would want to see that in a year.
Even though Stanton is a very talented hitter, should he end up in the division, it might be okay. His .143 batting average against the Milwaukee Brewers shows hope yet. In fact, the Crew are one of five teams to hold the homerun hitter without a homerun in 2017. A trend that would hopefully continue.
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So for now, Stanton will not be in the Central and things can return to normal. The Brewers can worry about finding a front of the line starter, and the Cardinals can keep looking for the bat to fill the middle of their order. With Stanton in control of his destination, who knows where he might end up.