5 starting pitchers the Padres could acquire before Opening Day
1. Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants
The Giants don’t seem ready to move Bumgarner, but as they move toward a rebuild under new president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi they appear to be open to offers on the 2014 NLCS and World Series MVP.
Bumgarner is entering the final year of his contract, with an incredibly reasonable $12 million salary. Fluke injuries (a shoulder injury from a bike accident in 2017, a fractured pinkie on a comebacker in spring training last year) have limited him to 38 starts over the last two seasons. But approaching 30 (Aug.1) it’s possible the mileage on his arm (1,638.1 career regular season innings, 102.1 postseason innings) will catch up to Bumgarner dramatically and quickly.
The price for Bumgarner in a trade will be high, and the Padres may be hesitant to pony up and keep him next winter when free agency comes. But if another big move is at all on the radar, apart from any lingering idea they haven’t ruled out signing Bryce Harper, a trade for a legit No. 1 starter fits the bill for San Diego.
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Among Giants’ starters, Jeff Samardzija could also be a trade target for the Padres. But he’s older (34) than Bumgarner and not as good, albeit with two years left on his contract (at a total of $39.6 million).