Giancarlo Stanton "thrilled" with trade; Marlins hoping Haren doesn't retire

SAN DIEGO -- Giancarlo Stanton structured his 13-year, $325 contract in such a way so that the Marlins could have money to build around him now. On Wednesday, the Marlins began that process by acquiring Dee Gordon and Dan Haren from the Dodgers.

Stanton's reaction?

"He was thrilled," said Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, who texted back and forth with the slugger after the trade was consummated. "I let him know what we did -- and a couple of the other guys, too."

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The Marlins are hoping Haren doesn't retire and instead joins their rotation. Haren told ESPN.com last month that he would prefer to retire rather than be traded to a team outside of southern California, where he is from.

Haren issued a statement Wednesday that read: "I have been notified of the trade to Miami. My strong desire to remain in southern California has been well-documented. I will have to evaluate my options carefully before making any decisions."

Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill, as well as Loria, said it was their hope Haren would play out the final year of his contract in Miami.

"I have spoken to Dan Haren," Hill said. "We just told him we are excited to have him as a Miami Marlin. I talked to him about the talent we assembled down in Miami, and how we thought he'd be a great fit with what we're trying to do. He said he needed to talk to his family, and he would get back to us."

Said Loria: "We hope he's going to play. We expect he's going to play. He'd be very helpful in that rotation, especially with that experience."

As part of the deal, the Dodgers are paying the Marlins the equivalent of Haren's ($10 million) and Gordon's (projected $2.5 million) salaries for 2015. The Marlins will receive that money whether or not Haren retires.

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The Marlins can't wait to add Gordon to the top of the lineup.

"It's going to be a lot of fun," Loria said of Gordon, who led the majors with 64 steals last season. "We had that in '03 (with Juan Pierre leading off). It was great to watch."

Said Hill:"It allows us to move (Christian) Yelich deper into the lineup, in front of Stanton. I think it'll put a lot of pressure on opposing teams and allow us to score more runs.

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The Marlins aren't done upgrading. They are expected one, and possibly two, more deals on Thursday on the final day of the Winter Meetings. They are believed to be closing in on a deal with Colorado for first baseman Justin Morneau. They're also looking to add another starting pitcher.