MLB

Giancarlo Stanton’s future sounds as tenuous as ever

The 65-65 Marlins are a surprise playoff contender, but that doesn’t appear to be influencing Giancarlo Stanton’s long-term plans.

The 24-year-old slugger can become a free agent in two years, and doesn’t sound inclined to sign a long-term deal to stick in Miami.

“Five months doesn’t change five years,” Stanton told Yahoo on Monday before he homered to help lead the Marlins to a win over Mike Trout’s Angels.

Stanton’s five seasons in Miami have produced seen no better than a third-place finish in the NL East — and the team’s 2012 fire sale that banished Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle to the Blue Jays.

According to a CBSSports.com report, Stanton is looking for a team that will be a perennial winner. The Marlins, despite two World Series titles in their brief franchise history, have never been that. Their attempts to lock up Stanton long-term were rebuffed this past offseason, but they do plan on trying again this winter. But the report indicates that officials are not optimistic that something will get done.

“We’ve definitely done better than anyone thought we would do,” Stanton told Yahoo. “At the same time, we’re still not where we need to be to keep playing beyond the designed schedule. … I want to be the only game on TV at the end of the day. We’re definitely in a positive direction. But we have a month to go to make the playoffs.”

If Stanton continues to be sour on a commitment, the Marlins must decide if they want to try and get a maximum value in a trade this offseason or next, or risk having him leave for nothing more than a draft pick. Stanton has rebounded from a mediocre 2013 to become a front-runner in this year’s NL MVP race – hitting .299 with 33 home runs and 97 RBIs.

“The way I felt last year, with the whole situation of losing and not playing my best, that was one of the worst feelings I ever had,” Stanton said. “I put it as a waste of time. I spent all that time in the offseason. To lose 100 games and to not do my best? It was like, ‘What’d I do all that in the offseason for?’ ”