Chicago Cubs: Cubbies Crib staff casts their end-of-year award votes

Chicago Cubs: A close brush with the 60-homer plateau

Since he broke onto the scene, Giancarlo Stanton has held the promise of mammoth homers. The problem? 2017 marked just the second time in his career he appeared in at least 150 games.

The Miami Marlins slugger did not disappoint.

He narrowly missed out on joining the exclusive 60-home run club, smacking 59 homers and driving in a career-best 132 runs on the year. His 1.007 OPS ranked second in the National League, trailing only Joey Votto. Heading into his age-28 season, Stanton has a very good shot at breaking 300 career home runs in 2018.

For much of the final month, the media surrounded Stanton with talk of 60 homers. No one has eclipsed that mark since Barry Bonds in 2001. Of course, Cubs fans remember Sammy Sosa – the only person to manage 60-plus homer seasons in baseball history.

"“It was tough not to think about,” Stanton said at the end of the season. “But at the same time, if I hit 60, you guys would be sitting here saying, why didn’t I hit 61 or 62? I’m fine with the way my season went.”"

Next: Looking at the Cubs' best all-time home run hitters

After finishing runner-up in 2014, could this be the year for Stanton? Well, if it is, it may also prove to be his farewell gift to the Marlins organization. New ownership is reportedly looking to cut payroll drastically. The best way to do so? Trading their star outfielder and his massive contract.