2. New York Yankees
It’s no secret that the Yankees are dealing with more injuries than anyone else in baseball. Their starting rotation hasn’t been spared. Luis Severino won’t return until July and James Paxton is currently on the Injured List for a few more weeks.
New York has done a quality job of staying in the AL East race despite their myriad injuries, but the reserves can only keep things afloat for so long. Swinging a deal for an impact arm like Bumgarner would give Aaron Boone’s rotation a major shot in the arm.
For the Yankees, it becomes a question of price. There’s a lot of talent in Brian Cashman’s farm system but most of it is several years away from making a real impact at the Major League level. That likely means the Giants would be asking for a handful of high ceiling prospects in any deal for Bumgarner.
George Steinbrenner wouldn’t have balked at that sort of asking price, but it’s a new day inside the Yankees organization. They’ll take a long look at Bumgarner, but they’re not going to pay a penny over what they believe his actual trade value is. That puts them slightly behind their arch rivals in the race to deal for MadBum.