© Kelley L Cox | 2018 Sep 28
Madison Bumgarner might not get traded after all. At least for now.
It’s becoming less and less likely the Giants will deal their ace this offseason, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. A midseason trade seems more likely, as San Francisco could potentially get more in return by trading with a team looking to make a postseason push.
A source said it is becoming less and less likely that the Giants will trade Madison Bumgarner this winter, though it still can’t be ruled out. A midseason trade seems more likely if the Giants are not in contention, the source said.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 12, 2018
Bumgarner, 29, has one year remaining on his deal with the Giants worth just $12 million. That price tag combined with the Giants’ need to retool after consecutive losing seasons, makes Bumgarner one of the hottest commodities on the trade market.
By waiting until midseason, the Giants do run the risk of Bumgarner’s value decreasing should his slight regression from the last two years continue. While dealing with injuries over the past two seasons, Bumgarner has posted a 3.29 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 38 appearances. Those numbers aren’t anything to sneeze at, but are elevated compared with the truly dominant 2.86 ERA and 1.04 WHIP Bumgarner put together from 2013-2016.
New VP of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has stated that everybody is on the table when it comes to the Giants improving their roster. He’s also downplayed reports that the team is actively shopping Bumgarner.