MLB trade rumors: Here's the latest on Giancarlo Stanton

The rumors involving Marlins star slugger Giancarlo Stanton are spreading like wildfire at the winter meetings this week in Orlando.

The latest news about the man who is the most sought-after player on the trade market is that the Yankees were among eight teams to talk to the Marlins about Stant, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Heyman says the conversation was “initiated by Miami,” but it was “brief” between Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill and that the Yankees cannot be considered “a serious player” for Stanton right now.

The Yankees can offer a few things Stanton wants in a preferred destination, which are to be part of a winning club and be a team on one of the two coasts. However, Heyman says the Yankees want to get under the $197 million luxury-tax threshold and that they don’t necessarily need a corner outfielder since they have slugger Aaron Judge.

The Yankees’ interest comes a couple of hours after sources told Jon Morosi of MLB Network that the Cardinals and Marlins talked about “trade concepts” for Stanton. The Cardinals have reportedly been a big contender to land Stanton, who hit a league-best 59 home runs last year and is still set to make an eye-popping $295 million over the next 10 seasons.

So far, the Yankees, Cardinals, Giants, Phillies, Dodgers and Red Sox have been rumored to be interested in Stanton, with the Cardinals, Giants and Phillies being considered the early favorites. The Dodgers joined the mix on Tuesday, while the Giants also engaged in talks with the Marlins on the same day, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.

However, there was big news about Marlins new chief executive officer Derek Jeter saying that he had not talked to Stanton yet and the team had “not come out publicly and said we’re going to trade him.”

The Jeter comments contradict what Hill said to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic about how clubs have to be specific as far what they can bring to the table. After all, Stanton has a full no-trade clause and a club option of $25-million for 2028.

“I know what I can do. I need to know what you can do,” Hill said. “Until I know where you’re at on the contract, the money, all that stuff, I can’t engage.”