After Gordon deal, Marlins' plan taking shape

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Marlins made a big trade on Thursday, sending two-time All-Star Dee Gordon to the Mariners for three prospects. The club then made an even bigger deal Monday, trading slugger Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees for second baseman Starlin Castro and a pair of prospects. 
Trading Gordon for right-handers Nick Neidert and Robert Dugger and infielder Christopher Torres is part of the Marlins' plan to build their organization from the ground up.
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Seattle is now on the hook for the remaining $38 million owed to Gordon through 2020.
The big-money move, however, involves Stanton, whose salary increases to $25 million in 2018, and he's owed $295 million over 10 years.
The Marlins had a framework in place to complete trades with either San Francisco or St. Louis, but Stanton, who has a full no-trade clause, declined a chance to play for the Cardinals per a statement issued by St. Louis. He also rejected a deal with the Giants.

Stanton, a four-time All-Star who led the Majors with 59 home runs in 2017, can opt out after '20.
Stanton has said he doesn't want to be part of a rebuild. The Marlins are coming off their eighth straight losing season, going 77-85. With the organization looking to improve their farm system while infusing pitching, they are open to trading their core position players.

Neidert was Seattle's second-ranked prospect by MLBPipeline.com, and Torres was seventh. Neidert slots in at No. 4 on the Marlins' Top 30, while Torres is at No. 11.
"The overall goal remains the same, we need to get better," Hill said. "We need to improve our overall depth.
"I've spoken to all my counterparts about any number of our players, and we will continue to do so as we look for ways to improve our ballclub and hope it puts us in a position to win consistently and build a sustainable organization."

Along with Stanton, the Marlins also could be open to trading either left fielder Marcell Ozuna or center fielder Christian Yelich.
"I can't speculate on anything in terms of our specific players," Hill said. "Yelich and Ozuna are Marlins. They'll be Marlins until they're not. From our standpoint, we'll head into the Winter Meetings with open minds, looking to get better and add talent and depth to the organization."