Stanton, 28, is owed $295 million on the 13-year contract he signed in November 2014. It's been rumored for nearly the past year that the Marlins are interested in moving the All-Star outfielder and the Phillies are one of the few teams that have the prospects to move and the cap space to inherit a deal that worth nearly $25 million per year.
Even so, it's a move that just doesn't make sense given the Phillies current stage in the rebuilding process.
MORE PHILADELPHIA BASEBALL NEWS
"The Phillies have been very disciplined over the past few years to get out from some of the contracts that we had and to not invest long term in players while we were going through the rebuild," Klentak said Monday at the GM Meetings in Orlando, Fla. "The result of that now is a lot of financial flexibility moving forward. So I understand where the narrative [about making a big move] would come from, because we have this financial flexibility that we should spend money. And that very well may happen.
"This offseason is the first time since I've been here that we will explore contracts of more than one year with free agents. Now is that two years or is that 10 years? Or something in between? That all will depend on the market and individual players. I think as we get closer to contention and once we're contending, that's when you start to use our payroll muscle to help augment the club. I think this year could go either way. I have no doubt that we'll make some additions to our club, whether those come in the form of shorter-term contracts or trades or long-term Major League contracts remain to be seen."
Rather than looking at top-tier bats, Klentak and the Phillies are seeking help to bolster a thin and unproven starting rotation, a need the club expects to address either through a trade or free agency.
_____________________
Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PGordonPBR
