MIAMI -- It remains status quo in the Giancarlo Stanton sweepstakes, and as the Marlins have said throughout the process, there is no timeline to make a deal.
The Giants and Cardinals are believed to have shown the most interest, while the Dodgers remain in the mix for the National League's Most Valuable Player, but it's unclear -- at least publicly -- their level of interest. In addition, according to MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman, the Yankees have "talked" with the Marlins about a deal for Stanton. Many factors would need to align for the Yankees to work out such a deal, but they're at least considering several scenarios, according to Heyman.
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"There's no timeline we have to do anything," Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said recently at the General Managers Meetings. "I think we're just trying to be proactive in trying to improve our club."
That continues to be the case, but the Marlins are hopeful activity will pick up by the Winter Meetings, set for Dec. 10-14 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
As talks move at a slower pace, here are some new developments regarding the teams considered at the forefront of the Stanton buzz:
Dodgers: MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi reported the Dodgers are believed to be at the top of Stanton's list. That's no surprise, as the 28-year-old is from Sherman Oaks, Calif., and grew up attending Dodgers games. How much of the remaining $295 million left on Stanton's contract the Marlins are willing to absorb will determine the return for the All-Star right fielder, who's coming off hitting 59 home runs. A potential target for the Marlins is 23-year-old right-hander Walker Buehler, ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the Dodgers' No. 1 prospect, and he's 10th on MLBPipeline's Top 100 list.
Outfielder Alex Verdugo, L.A.'s No. 2 prospect, is another possible piece in a prospective trade package.

Cardinals: A member of the Cards' 2011 World Series team is willing to lend a helping hand to try to convince Stanton to entertain St. Louis as an option. During a radio interview, Matthew Holliday, now with the Yankees, encouraged Stanton, who has a full no-trade clause, to be open to going to the Cardinals.
As a guest Wednesday on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Holliday said: "You've got a whole offseason to live in Miami or L.A., or wherever he wants to live. But for six months, man, getting after it in St. Louis as a baseball player, there's no better place. You get a chance to play for a winning franchise in a city that loves baseball [and] would revere him the next 10 years as their superstar to kind of build their team around. I think it's a better opportunity than people are thinking."
The Cardinals have Minor League pitching the Marlins could covet. Recently, Craig Mish of SiriusXM reported right-hander Sandy Alcantara could be included in a possible trade for Stanton. MLB.com has confirmed Miami has interest in Alcantara, St. Louis' No. 9 prospect.

Giants: The Giants, like the Cardinals, checked with the Marlins to see if Stanton was available dating back to before the non-waiver Trade Deadline in July. San Francisco doesn't have the caliber of prospects the Dodgers or Cardinals could offer, but according to a Morosi source, the Marlins would likely accept a package of Joe Panik and a pair of the Giants' top-ranked prospects -- outfielder/first baseman Chris Shaw (No. 2) and right-hander Tyler Beede (No. 3) -- if San Francisco committed to paying at least $250 million of the $295 million left on Stanton's contract.

The Giants may also have appeal to Stanton considering they're on the West Coast. Stanton played in the World Basebabll Classic on Team USA with Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford, and the three of them would give the club a strong nucleus. While the Giants were down in 2017, they have a track record of success.
Red Sox: A couple of weeks ago, the Red Sox were believed to be one of the frontrunners for Stanton. In the last couple of days, reports have surfaced that Boston is not a serious option. This isn't surprising since the Red Sox moved a number of top prospects in trades over the past few years. Fitting in Stanton's salary also is a challenge.