Predicting the biggest moves this offseason

Madison Bumgarner had a tremendous run with the San Francisco Giants. He won three World Series rings in 2010, 2012, and 2014 and will be in the team’s Hall of Fame when all of the dust has settled, but the Giants are going into a mini-rebuild right now and I don’t think Bumgarner wants to be somewhere that isn’t going to contend.

He will be paid like one of the top MLB free agents this winter, and the best fit for him, in my opinion, is the Atlanta Braves. He grew up four hours away from Atlanta in North Carolina, so my guess is he would like to come back home and play for the Braves, who will be in contention.

He would fit well into the starting rotation, as he would be able to lead a very young staff that is headed by Mike Soroka, who finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting this past season.

The Braves lost in the National League Division Series this year in part because they didn’t have a lot of experience in the rotation, and manager Brian Snitker had to ride the hot hand which happened to be Mike Foltynewicz.

But with Madison Bumgarner, the front office would know that there is a switch that seems to flip on when October hits, and Bumgarner transforms into one of the best pitchers in the game.

There is sure to be interest from teams like the Phillies and perhaps even the Astros but I think Bumgarner is not going to go where the most money is offered, but where he fits best.