© Stan Szeto | 2019 Jun 30
On Monday morning, Ken Rosenthal reported in The Athletic that four teams are interested in trading for Madison Bumgarner. On Monday evening Rosenthal went a step further, saying he expects that one of those teams will strike a deal with the Giants before the July 31 deadline, but that the return for San Francisco won’t be stellar.
“I do expect that he will be traded,” Rosenthal said on Fox. “I do expect that he will bring a return similar to what the Rangers got for Yu Darvish a couple of years ago. It’s not going to be great. He’s a potential free agent. Two months of Madison Bumgarner, you’re not getting the world for him.”
Who will land Madison Bumgarner as we approach the trade deadline?@Ken_Rosenthal has the latest: pic.twitter.com/kabb8oy3aU
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 8, 2019
Darvish was traded by the Rangers to the Dodgers in 2017. At the time, the right-hander was 30 years old and in the midst of an All-Star season. Texas received three prospects in return, only one of which, infielder/outfielder Willie Calhoun, was ranked as a Top 100 Prospect (92) by Baseball America. All three remain in the minor leagues, and have had limited success since being dealt.
As Rosenthal reported earlier, the Astros, Twins, Braves, and Brewers are among the clubs interested in Bumgarner, with the Astros, Braves, and Brewers on Bumgarner’s eight-team no-trade list. The left-hander strategically placed teams that he thinks are most likely to be interested in his services (see: contenders) on his no-trade list. Doing so gives Bumgarner leverage to seek compensation from the Giants to waive the clause, should they find an interested suitor that is on his list.
It would seem Bumgarner’s trade value has only increased in recent weeks. The ace struck out 20 combined over two starts on June 25 and 30, while allowing just three runs on seven hits in those 13 innings. Bumgarner was knocked out of his start on Saturday after taking a line drive off his pitching elbow, but is not expected to miss any time.
