Madison Bumgarner will likely be traded, but the Giants don't want to give him up for nothing.
However, it is unclear if they actually have that luxury. While San Francisco has been better this year than some might have thought, the Giants still need to rebuild due to the team getting up there in age.
Right now, Bumgarner is likely to net the best return in a deal. Maybe Jeff Samardzija could too, but due to his age and the amount of money left, he probably won't get quite as much as MadBum.
So, what will it take from teams interested to get him in a deal? We take a look at what the Yankees, Braves, Brewers, Twins and Astros might have to give up to get him.
What will it take to land Madison Bumgarner?
Yankees: Jonathan Loaisiga (No. 97 MLB Pipeline), Albert Abreu
The Giants might not want to settle on a deal for Bumgarner, but if they want to trade him to the Yankees they might have to. While the Giants need a lot of everything, they really need position players because Evan Longoria, Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt are all 28 or older — and three are older than 30. The Yankees, though, don't have a ton of position player talent in their minor-league system and they likely won't give up Clint Frazier on a rental.
But, if San Francisco has its heart set on dealing Bumgarner to the Yankees it could get back some good pitching with Jonathan Loaisiga, who could start in a lot of rotations now, and Albert Abreu, who has ace potential if he puts it all together. This deal will probably take a third piece too and it could come in the form of a lower-level prospect who few people have heard of. Also, take into account this deal will probably run something pretty similar to what Yu Darvish did in 2017. It will take a higher-level prospect and two more medium-level prospects to complete it.
Astros: J.B. Bukauskas (No. 97), Freudis Nova and Abraham Toro
The Astros have almost exactly what the Giants need though they might not be aching to get Bumgarner. They have top-level pitching talent in J.B. Bukauskas, who will either be a good starter or a great reliever, and they have underrated mid-level talent in the infield with guys like Freudis Nova and Abraham Toro. Nova is probably going to be knocking on the door of the top-100 prospect list going forward and Toro is only at the Double-A level because Houston is stacked at Triple-A. He dominated the Arizona Fall League this year and is still only 22 years old.
Braves: Drew Waters (No. 44), Kolby Allard and Joey Wentz
The Braves could decide to move Christian Pache but that's doubtful. Drew Waters would probably be the more likely guy to move, and while the Giants need position players, they also need lefties. Atlanta has an assortment of them. Kolby Allard is a former top-100 prospect and Joey Wentz is a raw and projectable lefty who could be very good very soon.
Brewers: Corey Ray, Mauricio Dubon and Drew Rasmussen
The Brewers don't have quite as much high-end pitching talent as the Giants may want, but they have some good depth they could play with. They have some good position players at the top of their system with Corey Ray possibly being the best of the bunch aside from Keston Hiura, who Milwaukee will not move. Ray has speed and some power and could be a very good leadoff man in the future at AT&T Park.
Mauricio Dubon is an older prospect but he has played very well of late. As for Drew Rasmussen, he could be a closer going forward, but he has been productive so far as a starter so until it is proven he can't do it, he is a starting pitching prospect and a hard-throwing one at that.
Twins: Trevor Larnach (No. 93), Blayne Enlow and Stephen Gonsalves
The Twins have more than enough position-player talent to entice the Giants, but it's very farfetched to believe they'll give up either Royce Lewis or Alex Kirilloff, who might be a better prospect tandem than Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. But they could part ways with Trevor Larnach, who has been very good this year and is emerging as a very good prospect himself.
Blayne Enlow has a ton of upside and Stephen Gonsalves still hasn't gotten a chance in the rotation for whatever reason. He is hurt right now but if he is healthy he can be a guy you could put right into a rotation as the team rebuilds.