SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants obviously want Giancarlo Stanton, but can they afford him? The inconclusive yet inescapable answer: It depends.
Stanton is being offered by the Miami Marlins in trade talks with the Giants and a handful of other clubs. At a glance, the 10 years and $295 million remaining on his contract are as formidable as the 59 homers and 132 RBIs he amassed last season.
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However, Stanton's salary might be more manageable than the raw numbers reflect. His contract, a 13-year, $325 million deal that he signed in November 2014, has an average annual value (AAV) of $25 million. That's the figure which would be counted against the collective bargaining tax (CBT), though Stanton's annual salaries range from $25 million next season to $32 million per year from 2023-25.
The Giants are believed to remain legitimate suitors for Stanton, who has a no-trade clause and is said to favor the Dodgers.
The Giants' current roster includes 10 players due to earn at least $9 million next season: Buster Posey, Johnny Cueto, Mark Melancon, Jeff Samardzija, Hunter Pence, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Madison Bumgarner, Denard Span and Matt Moore. That doesn't count Pablo Sandoval, who'll be paid most of the $18 million he's owed by the Red Sox, who signed him as a free agent following the 2014 season.

The Giants believe that adding Stanton would dramatically improve their dormant offense. They also know that avoiding the CBT would become an annual challenge with the outfielder's salary on their ledger.
There's a chance that Stanton's salary could burden the Giants less and less each year.
The Giants are unlikely to forge new agreements with Pence (AAV: $18 million) and Span ($11 million) after next season. Those savings alone would accommodate Stanton's wages.
However, the Giants also must decide after next season whether to offer Bumgarner a contract extension. The 2014 World Series hero and four-time All-Star should be able to command at least $25 million annually, likely more. The Giants might have to trade a high-salaried player or two -- or get creative contractually -- to make a deal with Bumgarner.
Should Stanton maintain the longevity that his contract promises, he'll remain active (and well-paid) when Samardzija becomes a free agent following the 2020 season and while Posey and Cueto ponder buyouts after the 2021 campaign.
However, given baseball's economics, the Giants probably will have absorbed another cumbersome contract or two by then.