Los Angeles Dodgers turn attention to Madison Bumgarner

Now that Gerrit Cole is off the market, teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers need to turn their focus to the rest of the free-agent starters market, such as Madison Bumgarner

Well, the Los Angeles Dodgers and a few other teams officially lost the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes as he has signed with the New York Yankees.  With that being said, they can now focus on a still strong free-agent starting pitching class.

Who do the Dodgers turn to now?  There are a few options here, but I feel like the most likely is to pair Madison Bumgarner with Clayton Kershaw.  Other free-agent pitchers out there, such as Dallas Keuchel could be targeted, but I have a feeling Bumgarner is now their man.

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Now, this is a pairing if it would have happened about 3-5 years ago which would have struck fear into the hearts of every National League team out there.  It would have made the Dodgers an instant World Series contender, but unfortunately, this is not then.

Don’t get me wrong, a pairing of this magnitude will still produce results, but the addition of Bumgarner doesn’t automatically guarantee the Dodgers passage to the promised land.  He pitched well last year, going 9-9 with a 3.90 ERA in an MLB-leading 34 starts with 203 strikeouts.

The record is a result of playing on a team where the offense wasn’t great, the San Francisco Giants and that will translate into more wins with the Dodgers.  Bumgarner, the same age as the aforementioned Cole, will get a decent contract, but it will not be near the record-setting deal Cole received.

Now the pairing of Bumgarner and Kershaw will definitely turn some heads and should be able to compete with the two-headed monster residing in D.C. in Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer.  The postseason resume of Bumgarner alone will allow them to go deep in the playoffs barring any injuries.

Losing out on Cole may make Dodger fans really upset, but getting Bumgarner at a cheaper deal, allowing them to improve with other players, will hopefully result in a better future for the boys in blue.