Marlins president David Samson responds to Frank Coonelly's comments about Giancarlo Stanton

Last weekend, Frank Coonelly said the Marlins' braintrust told him that the team was happy with Giancarlo Stanton's $325 million contract because it believed Stanton would exercise his opt-out clause after six seasons. Today, the Marlins responded.

For whatever it's worth!

"It's a non-issue for us," [Marlins president David] Samson said. "The opt out is purely his, not the Marlins', so there is no way we could ever have the view that [Coonelly] professed that we did. Our view is the opposite, which is we're counting on him being with us for 13 seasons and retiring a Marlin and being the face of the franchise that entire period."

Wolfe goes on to say that the Marlins did not want an opt-out, and that Stanton pushed for it. Which, of course, is reasonable all around -- Stanton should have wanted the opt-out, and the Marlins shouldn't have, because it's a $200 million risk that contains lots of downside and very little upside for them.

Anyway, whatever happened here, Coonelly shouldn't have said what he did, because contracts other teams have with their players aren't his business, and because he shouldn't be sharing off-the-record conversations with another team's executives about its players. I wasn't there, but it reminded me of PirateFest last year, where Coonelly proclaimed that the Pirates' TV deal was in the top half of all MLB teams. He may have just gotten a little overzealous. I know I say things I shouldn't in the heat of the moment, too. In any case, Coonelly has reportedly apologized to the Marlins.

Via HardballTalk.