Trade speculation has swirled around Madison Bumgarner for months, and such buzz figures to grow even louder as we approach the trade deadline due to Bumgarner’s solid results. After a pair of injury-marred seasons, Bumgarner has been healthy and effective this year, with a 3.92 ERA, 8.9 K/9, and a 6.14 K/BB rate that projects as the best of his career. As ESPN’s Buster Olney notes in a subscriber-only column, Bumgarner is throwing his fastball more often than in recent years, and with better velocity. While “the front offices of 2019 don’t necessarily believe in intangibles and mostly won’t pay for them,” Olney wonders if a proven postseason performer like Bumgarner might also benefit from a move to a contending team, similar to how Cole Hamels was reinvigorated after being dealt from the Rangers to the Cubs last summer. With the Giants in last place in the NL West and looking like a deadline seller, it will be interesting to see what San Francisco can acquire for its longtime ace in July, assuming the team indeed does want to move Bumgarner.
Some more from around the NL West…
- The Padres placed right-hander Trey Wingenter on the 10-day IL today (retroactive to Saturday) due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder, as per a team announcement. Phil Maton was recalled from Triple-A to Wingenter’s place in the bullpen. After making his Major League debut in 2018, Wingenter was off to a strong start this season, with a 2.93 ERA and 12.3 K/9 over 15 1/3 innings, albeit with some issues with his control (4.7 BB/9) and home run rate (1.2 HR/9).
- With Zack Godley now pitching out of the bullpen, the Diamondbacks will give rookie Taylor Clarke a shot at the starting rotation, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. Clarke is scheduled to start Tuesday’s game against the Rays, and there certainly seems to be opportunity for Clarke to stick if he pitches well, as manager Torey Lovullo said “we haven’t looked past Tuesday” in terms of a long-term rotation plan. A third-round pick for the D’Backs in the 2015 draft, Clarke is ranked by MLB.com as Arizona’s 10th-best prospect. The 25-year-old righty has a 3.55 ERA, 7.8 K/9, and 3.06 K/BB rate over 492 1/3 career minor league frames, and he made his MLB debut earlier this season, a three-inning relief outing on April 20.
- In another piece from Piecoro, he talks to Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen about the team’s good start, and how Hazen’s reluctance to fully rebuild (even while parting ways with the likes of Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, and Patrick Corbin) kept the D’Backs in position to potentially contend in 2019. While the losses of those big-name players drew the most headlines, Arizona has gotten some excellent early results from somewhat unheralded offseason pickups, i.e. Adam Jones, Greg Holland, Merrill Kelly, Luke Weaver. As to whether the D’Backs could be buyers or sellers at the deadline, “we are hoping this team tells us what to do – directs us what to do – as we move through the season. To this point, we’ve played good baseball,” Hazen said.
Padres need pitching
May I ask why Bumgarner’s performance so far is surprising to anybody? The people who were freaking out that his fastball was 0.5 mph slower than usual while returning from injury were idiots.
Hey nay be having a good season but ask yourself is he worth a big contract at many years?
I would not bet on it.
Not really – no more idiots that think he can be the bum of old for many years to come. Sure he’s out going fine but how for how long?
Not worth paying him a long term contract
I’m not sure Bumgarner is even good anymore.
You, my friend, need to read the article or look at his stats. Or you know… watch him pitch.
Tell me any Major League team that would not want him…..besides being a good pitcher… he is a very strong competitor and he can hit….
He can’t hit. He may hit an occasional homer but you’re not exactly calling for madbum to PH off your bench. But you couldn’t find a rotation in baseball that mad bum doesn’t upgrade. Any team could use him.
He actually has PH before. You can’t maintain an avg. batting once or twice a week.
I mean sure you can’t maintain a batting line with sporadic abs but it’s not as if bgarner’s hitting is a serious consideration. He’s no Michael Lorenzen or Micah Owings up there. He hits better than your average pitcher but he’s less of an offensive threat than your light hitting backup C.
Which really wasn’t my point in saying that anyway. It was that no team is really going to put any value into Bumgarner’s hitting prowess when acquiring him… I don’t think i was very clear about that.
I’m pretty sure he also DH’d a game against the A’s a couple years back
That probably says more about the futility of SF’s offense
Completely disagree with you Dougie
Dougie is right. The Giants will not get back any rebuild value by trading Bumgarner. 3 months of Madbum is not worth a building block.
It’s May and going to be irrelevant,he won’t be traded
That would be true of the old front office over the last few years they should have been rebuilding. Hopefully the new regime will have more foresight than hope.
Maybe the Giants can get a can’t miss prospect for Bumgarner like Angel Villalona or Gary Brown or Christian Arroyo or…
Kyle Tucker and Francis Martes for Bumgarner. Houston has a top three of JV, Cole, and Bum.
Houston will never trade Tucker.
Yeah that’s never going to happen. If they could get Seth beer from Houston that’d be a nice future outfielder though.
Think more along the lines of three of Derek Fisher, Tony Kemp, Myles Straw or Rogelio Armentaroes… maybe a lower level SP prospect. If Kyle Tucker was in the package (or even 1 for 1), SF would sign that deal tonight… Tucker would be a massive overpay for rental Madbum… Comp would be Machado from last year, but less return based on recent effectiveness.
The Yu Darvish trade to LA a couple of years ago is probably a bit better comp. Teams are always looking for pitching in the playoffs more than position players. I hope a team like the Brewers pick him up.
I would agree with that comp. I believe the headliner in that deal was Willie Calhoun and he was a top 100 prospect who was not ML ready at the time… but I think Darvish was more effective at the time and the year prior. I think Darvish was making less as well? Giants could get two ML ready OFs and a ML ready SP in the package I described above though. It would be a pretty solid offer for 6+ weeks of MadBum.
I doubt the Stros give up 3 of those guys for madbum. Straw is a logical replacement for Marisnick next year so I think they’d be inclined to keep him. Fisher has no spot so I could certainly see him included in a package. And the Giants should have no interest in Kemp. The giants should be taking boom or bust upside guys for the most part. I believe anyway. Fisher sort of fits that as a piece as he has a shot to be a 20/20 guy even though he could very easily be a 4A guy at this point.
Something like Fisher and 2 high upside pitching arms is what I’d target. Unless the Stros were willing to part with a guy like Josh James in a 1 for 1 swap.
The time to deal Bumgarner was the offseason. Although he’s still a stud, Giants lost more leverage by holding onto him. Thinking they could contend was another mistake. So far not a good look for the new regime.
Frisco’s only hope is one of the top teams have a devastating injury to their staff in-order to swing the leverage back in their direction. Otherwise it will be a decent return but not what it could have been.
In the off season, he was considered damaged goods.
By who?
Bumgarner 11-24 the past two plus seasons. With Aces like Bumgarner you end up being the Baltimore Orioles. Bumgarner pitches in the most pitcher friendly park in baseball. If traded to the AL East his ERA will be 5.00 or higher.. He is currently pitching with a 3.92 ERA.
Samardzija would also be a trade chip.and trading him easier to accept among the delusional Giant faithful who still believe today is 2014.
How about trading Brandon Belt for being stupid enough to say out loud that this infield of Longoria, Crawford, Panik and Belt is one of the best in baseball. Belt’s ability to judge talent is just about as sharp as his eye at the plate. Hoe many Giant fans are tired of listening to him whine over called third strikes. He is such a clutch performer when the game is on the line. Past his prime? Did he ever have a prime?
Speaking of prime, how about that perennial .300 hitter Joe Panik? He hasn’t belonged in the MLB for the past two years.
Evan Longoria’s hitting and fielding is putrid. Look on the bright side. We have this overpaid loser for at least three more years.
And don’t forget Brandon “Rapunzel” Crawford. If the Giants had a single MLB ready middle infielder both Crawford and Panik would be gone…
There you go Farhan. I just did your job for you. Somebody needs to give that smiling clown an enema..
Bumgarner to Minnesota Twins for Royced Lewis SS, and Brusdar Gratorol
Bumgarner to philly is the perfect fit