By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
If there was any question about the Philadelphia Phillies at least doing their homework on potential National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton, those questions seemed to have been answered.
After Bob Nightengale of The USA Today reported in late August that the Phillies had let their interest in the Miami Marlins slugger be known, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports had an even more definitive report on the team's interest Thursday:
The Giants, Cardinals and Phillies were confirmed by sources as the “most aggressive” pursuers of Stanton this summer. Given Stanton’s remark to FanRag that he “won’t rebuild,” it’s time to take another look at which teams the Marlins could target for a trade.
In late June, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe reported that the Phillies had "significant chatter" inside their organization about the idea of potentially trading for Stanton and/or his teammate Christian Yelich. Ken Rosenthal, then of FOX Sports, reported in July that the team had expressed interest to the Marlins in Yelich, but not Stanton, despite having had the discussions internally that Cafardo reported. That made Nightengale's initial report the first time that we had heard that the Phillies had definitively expressed interest in Stanton. Heyman's report takes things a step further.
Perhaps even more noteworthy in Heyman's report is that he seems to believe that the Marlins aren't inclined to move Yelich, who many have seemed to suggest appeals more to the Phillies than Stanton. If Yelich, who is signed through 2022 on a team-friendly contract, isn't available, perhaps that will push the Phillies more in Stanton's direction.
Ultimately, Stanton has the final say on where he goes. He may not want to stay with a Marlins team that appears likely to strip down much of their talent, but he still possesses a full no-trade clause. He's from the West Coast, so perhaps a team like the San Francisco Giants, despite having a worse 2017 season than the Phillies, would be more interesting to him. If the Los Angeles Dodgers were to become involved, that would probably be his most ideal destination, because he would both get to be on the West Coast and be playing for a sure-fire contender.
While the idea of Stanton hitting in the middle of the lineup with Rhys Hoskins does sound appealing, it's fair to wonder if acquiring him would be the Phillies' best route to contention. As I wrote last week, acquiring Stanton would require taking on much of the $295 million that he's owed through 2027, while also probably moving some of the organization's best pitching prospects. The Phillies already have a strong young outfield with Odubel Herrera, Nick Williams and Aaron Altherr, in addition to having spent their last three first-round draft picks on outfielders. Bryce Harper is among the crop of outfielders who will be free-agents next offseason, and signing one of them wouldn't require a team that needs starting pitching surrendering their best starting pitching prospects.
With all that said, Stanton just hit 59 home runs, while playing 81 of his games in a pitcher-friendly park. If the Marlins are willing to listen, the Phillies should certainly make the call and continue to gauge the price. Whether they come close to making a deal is another story.
