Easier to win games when you only have to score 2-3 runs than 5-6. To get Stanton Id only trade the likes of Hamilton, Lutz, Corcino (who is struggling), Travieso. I know I named two pitchers, but those 2 are pretty high in the organization but are blocked. I dont think there is enough there to trade for Stanton unless it includes Cingrani... And that should not happen. Way too important this season at this moment and going forward to get rid of.

"While no one questions Stanton's toughness, the concern is that he is an extremely large man in a sport that is often unfriendly to those of his size. Stanton is listed on the Major League Baseball website as being 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, and only two players have ever met each of those specifications while sticking around long enough to collect as many plate appearances as Stanton already has -- Adam Dunn and Frank Howard. In fact, only one other hitter that large has ever collected as many as a mere 300 career plate appearances aside from that trio, and that's Kyle Blanks of the San Diego Padres. Blanks is just 26 but has seen his once-promising career almost ruined by multiple trips to the disabled list, including 2010 and 2012 seasons nearly lost entirely to injury (he has yet to play in more than 55 games in a season). Though Dunn and Howard were prolific sluggers who played into their 30s, the fact that they stand as the only two ever other than Stanton to make a career out of being that large isn't exactly a promising sign."

"While no one questions Stanton's toughness, the concern is that he is an extremely large man in a sport that is often unfriendly to those of his size. Stanton is listed on the Major League Baseball website as being 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, and only two players have ever met each of those specifications while sticking around long enough to collect as many plate appearances as Stanton already has -- Adam Dunn and Frank Howard. In fact, only one other hitter that large has ever collected as many as a mere 300 career plate appearances aside from that trio, and that's Kyle Blanks of the San Diego Padres. Blanks is just 26 but has seen his once-promising career almost ruined by multiple trips to the disabled list, including 2010 and 2012 seasons nearly lost entirely to injury (he has yet to play in more than 55 games in a season). Though Dunn and Howard were prolific sluggers who played into their 30s, the fact that they stand as the only two ever other than Stanton to make a career out of being that large isn't exactly a promising sign."

 

A lot of that has to do with the fact that guys of that size, with his athleticism, generally find their way to the NFL instead of MLB. Athletes in general are bigger today than they were a generation or two ago. If the road to the big leagues wasn't as difficult as it is you would see a lot more athletes like Stanton playing baseball instead of football or basketball. Yasiel Puig is a good example, if he had grown up in the US he'd most likely have been on an NFL roster instead of a MLB roster--he's just 3 inches shorter than Stanton and outweighs him by 5 pounds. Stanton and Puig are much more athletic than either Dunn or Howard. Size coupled with athleticism doesn't worry me.

Could it be that the Reds offensive woes could be attributed to the Pirates' pitching? They are still toward the top in most NL offensive catagories...