Is MadBum on the #Phillies' offseason wish list? #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/wvLGqPZCfq
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 22, 2019
Could the first NL East battle of 2020 be for Madison Bumgarner?
Could the Giants have traded Bumgarner for Gabe Kapler?
The Phillies, who have been linked to a number of free agents already, have been in contact with Bumgarner’s representatives, MLB Network reported Friday. For a team with a righty-heavy rotation and a team that has folded the last month of the last two seasons, a 30-year-old southpaw with a legendary resume under pressure makes sense.
The division-rival Braves long have been viewed as a front-runner for Bumgarner’s services, nearby where the North Carolina native grew up. The same team that traded for Mark Melancon and brought in Will Smith could pluck Bumgarner next, if it keeps him away from Philadelphia — and San Francisco, and the other suitors who will pop up. The Padres and Yankees also reportedly are expected to have talks with Bumgarner’s representatives.
“I don’t know, maybe. We’ll see. That’d be great, especially with the kind of talent he is,” Smith told reporters in Atlanta last week, asked about the possibility of reuniting with Bumgarner. “But we’ll see what they’ve got.”
An offseason after Dallas Keuchel’s free agency dragged halfway into the season, Bumgarner’s next destination is not expected to be finalized soon, a young-ish pitcher with a lot of tread on his arm (1,846 regular-season innings), who isn’t the star he once was but is still the innings-eater he’s usually been.
He has been far better at Oracle Park than on the road, which might give the Giants an advantage — as does the qualifying offer they attached to him. But the way Bumgarner, not one for theatrics, drank in his last at-bat of the season in Bruce Bochy’s farewell gave the appearance that he, too, was saying goodbye to the Giants.
“We’ve at least expressed interest, and I think they’re going to take their time with this process,” Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told The Athletic. “Obviously, Madison’s earned the right to free agency and explore all his options. They’re going to be pretty methodical with it, and we respect that. But we’ve maintained contact.”