If there’s a race for Giancarlo Stanton’s heart, the Cardinals haven’t gotten a rose and won’t be headed to the final rounds. Jon Morosi is reporting that the player blocked a trade to the Cardinals and informed the teams of his choice this afternoon.

Giancarlo Stanton has decided not to accept trade to St. Louis. #STLCards GM John Mozeliak: “Unfortunately we were not able to convince Stanton to waive his no-trade clause and join the Cardinals. We felt this was a great landing spot for him, but it was not meant to be.” @MLB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 8, 2017

In terms of projected standings, the Cardinals are a top-ten team that would have become more formidable with the inclusion of that giant bat in the middle of their lineup, so it may be fair for fans St. Louis to decry the choice.

But most of the names that are supposedly on Stanton’s approved list — the Astros, Cubs, Yankees, and Dodgers — are also all in the top ten when it comes to projected outcomes. He can still go to a great team and make them better.

And while there’s reporting that the Giants are not fairing well in terms of their ranking on the remaining teams — The Chronicle’s Henry Schulman is reporting that “Stanton has told friends that the Giants are not his first choice and might be his last” — San Francisco is officially still in the running, which proves one more thing: Stanton is a human being with many different things that are important to him, including where he wants to live, where his family will live, and where he wants to play.

It’s frustrating, perhaps, to follow this as a fan. But we have to remember his humanity and respect his process as he tries to make one of the more important choices of his career. We’ll see who’s next to drop off the list as this continues.