the more i read about the details to the stanton deal the more brilliant it seems from miamis standpoint
their fanbase is a disaster, this deal seems designed to try to win back some fans who (rightly) stopped trusting loria years ago. they get to trumpet the numbers and prove that they were willing to lock up an elite talent, while knowing how high the likelihood of stanton opting out and going to the highest bidder in 5(or 6, ive read conflicting reports) years. when that happens it technically wont be lorias fault, he can paint stanton as greedy and disloyal, and they wont owe him a further penny. the only real risk is if stanton loses it in the next 5 years, in which case of course the marlins remain on the hook anyway. if he keeps playing like hes playing there will certainly be teams throwing money at him when hes 30 and able to hit free agency. thats when the true test of loria and co's commitment to winning will happen
if thats too cynical and loria has suddenly decided to spend money on building a team, they basically have five years to surround giancarlo with enough talent, both on and off the field, to convince him to stay on past the 5 years. even if its not too cynical, loria better hope that 5 years of stanton on the field brings enough fans back that some will even stick around after hes gone.
long story short, we wont know the real value of this deal till that opt out comes into play.
and somewhere bryce harper is high fiving scott boras
