San Francisco Giants: Trade or Keep Madison Bumgarner?

After adding some veterans to lengthen their lineup, the San Francisco Giants failed to meet expectations for the 2018 MLB season.

Some fans insist the San Francisco Giants were a dynasty when they won World Series every other year (2010, 2012, 2014) in the early 2010s. The two Giants  players attributed to this dynasty are Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner.

Posey’s played his first full MLB season in 2010 when he won Rookie of the Year and his Giants won the World Series.

Bumgarner, affectionately known to Giants fans as MadBum, threw eight shutout innings in that 2010 World Series as a rookie.

Many different players made significant contributions to the World Series the Giants won in the early 2010s, but Posey and MadBum were the consistent core over all three. Recently, the Giants have struggled to win. They desperately want to be in the exciting NL Playoff picture, but at what cost?

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San Francisco Giants Loyal To Players Like Madison Bumgarner

Many wonder what the current San Francisco Giants will do with their ace Madison Bumgarner. Teams such as the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros have stripped down and added prospects to build World Series teams. Would the Giants consider doing this starting with a trade of MadBum?

Bumgarner hopes the team can hold on to him, but he understands the business.

"“Id like to be here [San Francisco] my whole career,” Bumgarner reacted to questions about his future as a Giants pitcher."

Giants fans and personnel have relationships with players that work in some cases and not in others.

The belief they have in individuals likely had something to do with championship teams led by a group of castoffs and misfits.

But, allowing Tim Lincecum to start games over and over after multiple years of proving he was past his prime did not help the team. They might have traded him earlier in his fall from grace when he still had an increment of market value to boost a reportedly weak minor league system.

Furthermore, the Giants re-signed Aubery Huff to a 2-year/$22m contract after a career statistical season that he was unlikely to ever replicate. Fan comments on the articles reporting the deal at the time show the organization probably overpaid. History proves it.

Fans however, are very loyal to the San Francisco Giants as well. Despite some losing seasons over the past five years, the Giants averaged the third highest in attendance and the Daily Business Journal named them the most loyal fan in baseball to start the 2018 season.

San Francisco Giants Unlikely To Trade Madison Bumgarner

The Giants thought they would return to the World Series when they signed pitchers such as Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija and, later, Mark Melancon. Injuries kept these players down most of their careers with San Francisco. These bad contracts continue to hurt the team.

The Giants hoped to have pitching strength again in 2018 so they acquired Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen to strengthen their lineup. However, injuries to Cueto, Samardzija and Melancon continued to keep them from making a difference.

San Francisco could try to trade those players because they never had time to build up as much popularity as a man on a World Series roster. However, these players have large contracts that turn off many teams.

Bumgarner has dealt with some of his own injury issues over the past couple seasons, but he fits into that mold of players the Giants fans and organization is typically very loyal to.

Bumgarner becomes an unrestricted free agent after next year and could get a hefty return in a trade.

San Francisco CEO Larry Baer does not want to be the face of a Bumgarner trade. He sounds optimistic on keeping Bumgarner.