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MLB free agency 2019: Five potential landing spots for Madison Bumgarner

By Joshua Sadlock

DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 03: Starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants throws in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 03, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 03: Starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants throws in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 03, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 02: Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning at Dodger Stadium on April 02, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /

2. New York Yankees

The Yankees have made it very clear that signing Gerrit Cole is their number-one priority this winter. They missed out on Patrick Corbin last winter because they were not willing to guarantee a sixth year. There won’t be any room for messing around with Cole. If the Yankees want him, they’ll have to offer a record-breaking contract.

It’s rare that the Yankees enter an offseason with a clear desire to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a single player and come up short, but that might happen with Cole. The California native is said to prefer a return to the West Coast, and both Los Angeles franchises have money to spend and a need for an ace.

You can’t rule out the Yankees in the Cole sweepstakes, but it’s hard to view them as the favorite based on the pitcher’s stated geographical preferences. His former teammates were speculating on his plans to return to his home state during the playoffs. That doesn’t bode particularly well for the Yankees, regardless of how much money they can offer. Luckily, there are other options to chase.

Missing out on Cole would not be a crushing blow to the Yankees World Series hopes, as they’re in a similar situation to the Twins. The Yankees are going to score five runs a night and have one of the best bullpens in baseball. They don’t need a rotation full of aces to compete, but they do need at least one more playoff-tested hurler to pit against Houston. If the Yankees miss on Cole, they’ll turn their focus first to Zack Wheeler and then Bumgarner.

Bumgarner doesn’t give off the most extreme Big Apple energy, but he has the all-business type of personality to thrive in any city. Leaving the pitcher-friendly confines of Oracle Park will pose a bit of a challenge to the 30-year-old, but Bumgarner is savvy, commands all of his pitches and limits the longball. He will be able to handle pitching in the cutthroat AL East.

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