San Francisco Giants frontrunners for Giancarlo Stanton?

The San Francisco Giants appear to be the leader in the derby to acquire Miami Marlins star Giancarlo Stanton.

Stanton's representatives were given permission to meet with the Giants on Thursday night in Los Angeles, according to multiple reports. The Marlins approved the meeting so Major League Baseball tampering rules were satisfied as the Giants try to determine whether or not Stanton would agree to a trade.

Miami is looking to slash payroll and Stanton is owed $295 million over the next 10 seasons as part of his 13-year, $325 million contract. The slugger has a no-trade clause in the deal and must approve any transaction.

The Giants have reportedly offered second baseman Joe Panik, two promising minor leaguers (right-hander Tyler Beede and first baseman Chris Shaw) and two first-round draft choices for Stanton, who won National League MVP honors while smacking 59 homers with 132 RBIs last season.

The Marlins are reportedly only willing to pick up $45 million of Stanton's contract to make the deal work. New ownership, including former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, is intent on deeply cutting the team's payroll.

The St. Louis Cardinals are considered as the other leading contender for Stanton with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox also rating as possibilities.

Stanton, a four-time All-Star, has launched 267 homers in eight seasons with the Marlins. He also was MVP runner-up in 2014 when he led the NL with 37 homers while compiling 105 RBIs.

Panik batted .288 with 10 homers and 53 RBIs last season in his fourth big league campaign. He was a National League All-Star in 2015 when he batted a career-high .312.

Beede, considered one of San Francisco's top prospects, went 6-7 with a 4.79 ERA in 109 innings at Triple-A Sacramento in 2017. Shaw split time between the Double-A and Triple-A levels and batted .292 with 24 homers and 79 RBIs.