Giants: How Gerrit Cole signing impacts Madison Bumgarner
The biggest domino on the starting pitching market has fallen with Gerrit Cole joining the New York Yankees. How does that impact former Giants ace Madison Bumgarner?
The New York Yankees signed Gerrit Cole, the best starting pitcher available on the free agent market, to a lucrative nine-year, $324 million deal on Tuesday. That has a direct impact on the rest of the starting pitching market, including longtime San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner.
The Giants seem to be content to let Bumgarner walk in free agency, and from a numbers standpoint, it makes sense.
Based on the contracts that other free agent pitchers like Zack Wheeler, Stephen Strasburg, and now Cole have gotten, his price tag has undoubtedly climbed.
Teams like the Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals and even the rival Los Angeles Dodgers who have missed out on signing a frontline starter so far now seem primed to ramp up their pursuit of Bumgarner. He now looks poised to rake in north of $20 million per year on a multi-year deal.
The case can be made that Bumgarner is the best remaining starting pitcher available in free agency. Of course, another excellent lefty in Hyun-Jin Ryu is also still available, but given Bumgarner’s postseason credentials and superior durability, he may be considered even more valuable, especially for teams eyeing a playoff push.
There seems to now be a very real–alarmingly real if we’re being honest–chance that Bumgarner could wind up with the Dodgers, especially if Ryu signs elsewhere.
Thankfully, many other teams will be in hot pursuit of Bumgarner, so it is far from a given that the enemy will poach him. But do not underestimate the war chest that the Dodgers possess, coupled with the fact that they are perennial contenders, two things Bumgarner may find attractive.
Ahead we’ve highlighted how the Cole signing impacts Bumgarner’s market. We’ll take a look at the teams involved, as well as how much Bumgarner could rake in, depending on how some other chips fall.