Phillies Amaro Hot On Trail of Marlins Outfielder Giancarlo Stanton

Sep 24, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) connects for a base hit during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “relentless” as meaning, “remaining strict or determined”. If reports out of Boston are to be believed, the next step would be to place a photo of Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro right underneath that definition.

According to Nick Carardo of the Boston Globe, Amaro has been relentless in his pursuit of a trade for Miami Marlin outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. Per Cafardo, Amaro has tried to pry Stanton from Miami 10 times over the course of his tenure with the Phillies, and has been rebuffed every time.

And who could blame him. Stanton is one of the premiere young power hitters in the game, having hit 117 career home runs before the age of 24. His .608 slugging percentage lead the National League in 2012 and has a .270 career ISO. He’s also under team control until 2017, becoming arbitration eligible for the first time this winter.

Oh, and did I mention he is a right-handed, corner outfielder? Yup, sounds like a perfect fit for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Of course, there are two major hurdles for the Phillies to leap in such a pursuit. First and foremost, the Marlins are unlikely to trade such a big piece to a division rival, even if they choose to move an affordable cornerstone like Stanton. And if they did, the price would be astronomical.

That leads to the second issue, cost. The Phillies have what is regarded as one of the weakest minor league systems in the game, having gutted it over the years with trades for players like Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and others. That price would likely include third base prospect Maikel Franco, top pitching prospect Jesse Biddle, and a slew of others that would make the deal unbearable for Philadelphia.

Long story short, you can’t blame a guy like Ruben Amaro for trying. Stanton should be any team’s goal to acquire, but you can’t go all in on one guy either.