In Miami, Clark Spencer cites sources as saying that the Marlins' new ownership group informed RF Giancarlo Stanton last month that if he "refused to waive his no-trade rights and accept a trade, he would remain a Marlin and team officials would look to trade off other top players to reduce payroll." A source said that it shows the Marlins "aren't without leverage in their efforts to deal Stanton and relieve them of the financial burden he brings." Shedding the $25M that Stanton is set to earn in '18 would go a "long way" toward helping the Marlins reach their $90M target payroll next season (MIAMI HERALD, 11/29).
SENDING A MESSAGE: MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said of why former Braves GM John Coppolella was banned for life for violations in the international free-agent market, "It was important to send a message about how seriously we take our rules and how seriously we take violations of those rules, particularly in the international market, first of all. Secondly, this was behavior that went over a period of years and was very pervasive in terms of the activity. Then last, unfortunately, John, while the Braves were completely cooperative in the investigative process, I can't say the same for John" ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 11/28).
PATIENCE AT THE PLATE: In N.Y., Joel Sherman writes the Yankees are the "only team left" seeking a manager for next season. Yankees Senior VP & GM Brian Cashman "wanted to downplay the notion that the Yankees did not like what they heard in their initial round" of interviews, or that Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner was "unimpressed and sent out an edict to delve further." Cashman "insisted he is following a blueprint and that only the needs of the baseball department have slowed the gears, nothing more." Cashman said that the club "can be patient," because no other team is "trying to hire a manager" (N.Y. POST, 11/29).
