MLB trade rumors: Giants’ Madison Bumgarner won’t cost Yankees’ Brian Cashman top dollar

There are several top-notch pitchers available on the trade market, including Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber, Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke, Seattle Mariners left-hander James Paxton and San Francisco Giants southpaw Madison Bumgarner. Will New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who’s shopping for starting pitching, make a deal?

MLB teams looking for starting pitching during the offseason have a few options on the trade market: Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber, Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke and Seattle Mariners left-hander James Paxton.

But what about San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner? Are they finally ready to part with the three-time World Series champion? If so, how much should teams be willing to give up for the southpaw?

ESPN’s Buster Olney says new president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi might be ready to move Bumgarner. Per MLB.com:

“Teams are saying, ‘You know, that might be a player you might want to move sooner rather than later,'” ESPN’s Buster Olney said recently on the Baseball Tonight podcast.

“He’s a legacy player, but I think if someone walks into that job now as Farhan is and takes a clear-eyed look at the situation, absolutely you would put Bumgarner out on the trade market because especially from what I’m hearing from other teams is there are metrics on Bumgarner that are not promising, especially the damage done by opposing teams to his fastball.”

12 Cashman takeaways

USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale says any team interested in Bumgarner won’t have to pay top dollar. Per MLB.com:

“It’s not the same Madison Bumgarner,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale told Olney on the podcast. “It’s not the Bumgarner that was a World Series hero or anything like that. He’s not been the same guy since the injuries. So now with a full winter to recover and everything else, I think [the Giants] need for him to have a dominant spring and a dominant start [to the regular season] and then maybe they can move him. I don’t see them locking themselves up with Bumgarner because you know what you’re going to get. I don’t think you’re going to get that much from him on the trade market.”

“I think they wait to see if they’re in the race or out of it by the All-Star break next year,” Nightengale said. “I do believe they’ll listen to offers on Bumgarner, but I think they’re going to find themselves stunned by how little interest there is in him. I mean, he’s a free agent in a year.”

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