San Francisco Giants: Who Will Replace Madison Bumgarner in the Rotation?

1. Trade Targets

The Giants finding an arm outside of the organization to replace Bumgarner in the rotation is unlikely, but still could happen if he ends up being out longer than 6-8 weeks.

I could not find anyone who is on the trading block as of yet since it is still early in the season. In order to make this option possible I looked at some veteran pitchers on teams looking to rebuild that are currently on the final year of their contract.

Like I said, this is an unlikely scenario, but still could happen if it is desperately needed. Without further ado, here are trade targets the Giants could pursue.

Jeremy Hellickson (Phillies) — Hellickson is currently on a one year deal worth $7 million, which makes him inexpensive. The veteran righty is 30-years-old, meaning he should be in the prime of his career.

After posting ERA’s of 5.17, 4.52, and 4.62 from 2013-2015, Hellickson has seemed to figure it out in Philadelphia. In 2016, he went 12-10 with a 3.71 ERA, while tying his career high of 189 innings. His success in 2016 was a bright spot in an otherwise rough year for a young Phillies team.

San Francisco Giants

So far in 2017 he has been lights out, going 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA and a WHIP of 0.82 in his three starts.

It is unclear if the Phillies are looking to trade him, especially if he continues pitching this successfully. It appears the Phillies were not fully set on Hellickson as a long-term option, since they only brought him back on a one year deal.

The only question is what the asking price for Hellickson will be if the Phillies think he will not sign with the team last year and are looking to find prospects to fill his void.

Jaime Garcia (Braves) — Garcia is currently in the final season of a six-year contract he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was traded to the Braves during the offseason and has struggled so far in the 2017 season. In three starts Garcia is 0-1 with a 4.67 ERA in 17.1 innings.

The main knock on Garcia has always been his durability. Last year was only the second time in his major league career that he crossed the 30 start threshold, going 10-13 with a 4.67 ERA in exactly 30 starts.

This may not be the most exciting option, but if the Giants feel they desperately need an arm, they can get Garcia cheap, given his injury history. The Braves are not contenders and could use some more prospects to build for the future.

Next: Madison Bumgarner to DL Comes at the Worst Time

When healthy, Garcia has been a solid pitcher overall, posting a career record of 62-46 with a 3.59 ERA. Plus, he would give the Giants another left-handed arm in the rotation. This scenario may come to fruition if Bumgarner is out longer than expected.