Ranking teams that should convince Madison Bumgarner to waive his no-trade clause

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 02: San Francisco Giants Starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) looks on during a MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 2, 2019 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY 12: Paul Goldschmidt #46 and Yairo Munoz #34, both of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after hitting a two-run homerun in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium on May 12, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Pirates defeated the Cardinals 2-1. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas /Getty Images) /

6. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals are one team that could really benefit from adding Bumgarner to their rotation, but they also aren’t a team that seems primed to outbid the competition for his services. The free agency signing of Paul Goldschmidt will almost certainly remain St. Louis’ big move of the season.

Instead of looking for outside help, the Cardinals will count on internal improvement from a pair of young starters to help power them down the stretch. Both Jack Flaherty and Dakota Hudson have been decent starters on the young season, but the organization has higher hopes for each player. At 23- and 24 years of age, respectively, that seems like a solid bet by the Cardinals.

St. Louis also can count on their bullpen to help cover up any weakness from their starting pitching as the season progresses. Jordan Hicks might have the nastiest stuff in the game. John Gant and john Brebbia have both been excellent this season as well. If Andrew Miller can find his best stuff then the Cardinals might be looking at a truly dominant relieving corps.

It’s not unthinkable that the Cardinals could get into the mix for Bumgarner, it just seems out of character from an organization that likes to build a little more conservatively. That conservatism should leave them on the fringes of the race to acquire the Giants ace.

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