San Francisco Giants Rumors: Giants Taking Calls on Madison Bumgarner

There we have it folks. Our first substantial San Francisco Giants rumor related to their squad for 2019. The Giants are fielding calls and discussions surrounding Madison Bumgarner.

According to a Jon Morosi report, the San Francisco Giants have had preliminary discussions with the Phillies and Brewers about a potential trade for Madison Bumgarner.  They’ve also had some talks with the Braves as well.

Honestly, Giants fans shouldn’t be surprised. If they were ever going to trade Bumgarner, now is the time to do it. They wouldn’t be doing their due dilligence if they didn’t attempt to see what they could get for Bumgarner in the trade market.

The Giants need to put something together that gives them a better look long-term. As we all know the farm system has improved in the last two years, but it’s still looked at as a bottom third system in terms of talent.

A Bumgarner trade would likely put them at least into the top half, if the deal was just straight prospects. The Giants are still looking for a very high-end pitching prospect in return for Bumgarner, according to Morosi’s report.

Sources say Zaidi is likely to ask for at least one high-end pitching prospect in any Bumgarner trade. According to MLB Pipeline, only one of the Giants’ top five prospects is a pitcher: right-hander Shaun Anderson, a 24-year-old viewed as a mid-rotation Major League starter.

So what does the timeline on a Bumgarner deal look like? Morosi thinks the Giants could wait until the trade deadline, and I would agree with that as well.

My personal belief is that if the Giants don’t have a deal for Bumgarner completed by the end of the Winter Meetings, they’ll end up letting 2019 play out, and trade him at the deadline if they are out of contention. Ultimately, the Giants goal is to win, and if they feel trading Bumgarner can help accelerate that timeline for winning, they’ll do it.

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I know it might be difficult for a lot of Giants fans to deal with, but trading Bumgarner could end up benefitting the franchise a lot, especially if they receive some sure fire prospects in return. The Brewers might be able to provide the best package possible in a trade, better than what the Phillies can offer. Don’t sleep on them when all the talk right now is of the Phillies. The Phillies are interested in anything and everything that’s better than what they have on their roster right now.

Other teams who we could see come into the mix? The Astros and Yankees are two that I think could jump into the mix.

A fringe trade destination could be Cincinnati as they’ve been looking for a big time arm to come to their city.

However, they’d have to give up a lot, and I don’t think they’re at a point in their rebuilding process to hedge their future on Bumgarner.

The next few weeks are going to get really interesting folks. If you aren’t paying attention, then it’s time you do. The future of the San Francisco Giants could be altered drastically within the next couple weeks. Be sure to check back with us as we keep you up to date on all the rumors.