The latest San Francisco Giants have one of the biggest chips on this year’s trade market in starter Madison Bumgarner.
Until he is ultimately traded, rumors will continue to swirl about potential landing spots for San Francisco Giants starter Madison Bumgarner.
The latest came from Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Wednesday morning:
The Minnesota #Twins, who aren’t content simply to win the AL Central, are showing strong interest in #SFGiants ace Madison Bumgarner. The #Twins are NOT on Bumgarner’s no trade list enabling the Twins to acquire him without his approval.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 26, 2019
This is not the first time the Minnesota Twins have been linked to Bumgarner.
I have no doubt that @Charley_Walters received this information from someone very plugged in. Can add late tonight that someone very plugged in says this is premature. But I also have no doubt that it's worth monitoring even closer moving forward. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/qkZdsMvRGm
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) June 16, 2019
With a 51-27 record and an 8.5-game lead in the AL Central, the Twins are clearly in a position to buy this summer, and solidifying the starting rotation around Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson and Martin Perez would no doubt help their postseason outlook.
There have been some rumblings that the Giants might not wait until the deadline to deal Bumgarner, and after a strong showing on Tuesday night where he racked up a season-high 11 strikeouts in six strong innings against the Colorado Rockies, a deal could be coming sooner rather than later.
ATF contributor Marc Delucchi explored what a trade with the Twins might look like as part of his Sell-off Series, and while his suggested trade package built around top pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol may ultimately be on the high side, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
It all depends on how many teams are involved in trade talks, how motivated the Giants are to deal quickly, and how much value teams place on a stellar postseason track record.
The next month is going to be a pivotal point in the San Francisco Giants rebuild, and they need to make the most of their top trade chips.
The idea of holding onto Bumgarner if no one is willing to meet their asking price is silly. They need to take the best offer on the table and move on. Sentiment can’t get in the way of improving the long-term outlook of the organization.
With one of the best farm systems in baseball and motivated by a surprise run to the top of the AL Central standings, the Minnesota Twins just might be the team that makes the San Francisco Giants a good enough offer to say goodbye to their homegrown ace.