Source: No Stanton talks between Marlins and Red Sox for last two weeks

A report by TheAthletic.com suggested Tuesday that the Red Sox were one of three teams “engaged’’ in trade talks with the Miami Marlins for slugger Giancarlo Stanton, but a major league source said that while Dave Dombrowski and Marlins president of baseball operations Mike Hill spoke at the GM meetings almost two weeks ago and broadly discussed what the Marlins would require to make a deal a reality, they hadn’t spoken since.

The asking price, for now, remains an unrealistic one for the Red Sox, assuming most (if not all) of the remaining $295 million due Stanton over the next 10 years, plus a package of promising young players.

The source suggested the Sox would continue to monitor the talks and be prepared should the Marlins find it necessary to lower their demands.

It's possible the Marlins purposely overstated the level of engagement by the Red Sox in order to draw in other interested big-market clubs.

For now, the notion of a trade for Stanton is far from appealing, especially since they have other options by which they can improve their offense on the free agent market, led by J.D. Martinez. Martinez won’t come cheaply, but in the end, it’s expected that his new deal will be only slightly more than half of Stanton’s current contract.

The San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals – the other teams identified in the report – are said to be more aggressive in their pursuit of the 28-year-old Stanton, who led all of baseball with 59 homers and was recently named the National League MVP.

Meanwhile, a source with knowledge of the Marlins’ thinking said Tuesday that the scouts assigned to cover the Red Sox system this past year hadn’t been contacted for their input on which prospects to inquire about – another sign that trade talks haven’t gotten off the ground between the teams.

Around the game, the general feeling is that the more salary a club absorbs, the less they’d have to include in terms of players or prospects.

Stanton owns a full no-trade clause and holds great leverage over any potential trade talks since he is within his right to decline any deal which doesn’t meet with his approval.

“I think he’s a competitive guy and wants to go someplace where he can win,’’ said one source who knows Stanton.

“But I could also see him waiting and trying to force a deal with the Dodgers (who are looking to cut payroll this winter). There are worst things than spending another year living in South Beach.’’