Yankees could trade for Madison Bumgarner without losing any big league talent

Fans keep saying the Yankees No. 1 priority this offseason is pitching. And while that’s true, there are no bonafide aces available in free agency. The only way to secure one is via trade and to do so will cost top prospects.

While it’s fun to imagine the likes of free-agents-to-be such as Manny Machado or Bryce Harper in pinstripes, the Yankees and their fans know they need a rock-solid No. 2 pitcher — if not a 1A to take some of the pressure off of 24-year-old Luis Severino.

And while the Yanks stayed below the luxury tax threshold in 2018 so that splashing cash this winter wouldn’t come with any concessions, the free agent pitching market isn’t all that impressive.

General manager Brian Cashman has been a longtime admirer of left-hander Patrick Corbin. And although Corbin admitted in the spring that the idea of pitching for his favorite childhood team, the Yankees, is enticing, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the Yanks will have competition signing the 29-year-old from the Dodgers, Braves and Giants.

Aside from Corbin, it’s hard to get excited about Dallas Keuchel, Nate Eovaldi (again), Matt Harvey, Derek Holland, Gio Gonzalez — the uninspiring list goes on.

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Even if the Yanks are to outbid all other suitors for Corbin, trading for a top of the rotation ace is the only way the Yankees are going to guarantee themselves a World Series caliber rotation in 2019.

That’s where Madison Bumgarner comes in. With the Giants expected to pick up the final $12 million option on his contract, the longer San Francisco waits to deal the North Carolina-native, the less they’ll get in return.

A pitcher of Bumgarner’s pedigree is acquired for one reason — to outperform the competition come playoff time. In 102.1 postseason innings, MadBum is 8-3 with a 2.11 ERA, 0.899 WHIP and 87:18 K:BB ratio.

The Giants finished this past season 73-89 (.451) — 18.5 games back of the Dodgers for first place. Playing that poorly for a club with the second-highest payroll in baseball is unacceptable ($205.6 million) even after firing their general manager.

Of their 25-man roster, $63 million of it could be found on the season-ending disabled list, including Buster Posey, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija. A rapidly aging club that is stuck with Evan Longoria for five more years at $68.7 million (a $5 million buyout does exist in 2023), the Giants need to get young — and fast.

Perhaps trading upcoming free agent Andrew McCutchen to the Yanks in August was a sign of things to come. With Hunter Pence’s $18.5 million coming off the books, where do the Giants go from here?

A rebuild, that’s where.

Though the Yankees began the 2018 season with the sixth-best farm system in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, graduating presumptive AL Rookie of the Year Miguel Andujar and potential runner-up Gleyber Torres, the Yanks finished the year ranked 14th by Bleacher Report.

If you can acquire Bumgarner without surrendering any proven big league talent like Andujar and Torres, you make the move.

Naturally, you wouldn’t want to deal all four or five of your best blue-chip prospects, but a combination of sorts — including one or two pitchers, one outfielder and/or an infielder shouldn’t stop Cashman from potentially acquiring a four-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion like Bumgarner.

You have a farm system for two reasons: to promote from within, filling holes which the Yankees have done exceptionally well over the past two years (Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Severino, Andujar, Torres) — and to use as trade bait to improve your team when necessary (Blake Rutherford, Dustin Fowler, Dillon Tate, Billy McKinney).

Even after a slew of trade deadline deals in ’18, the Yankees still have tier 1 prospects like Justus Sheffield and Estevan Florial. Throw in the promising big league starts of Jonathan Loaisiga, Chance Adams and Clint Frazier — and the Yanks have plenty of young talent that would quickly help the Giants’ 26th ranked minor league system.

As it stands, the Giants were reportedly scouting the Yanks’ No. 4 prospect, Albert Abreu this past summer. The Bombers’ system is perhaps deepest in pitching and could afford to make one of Domingo Acevedo, Michael King, Luis Medina or even first baseman Mike Ford available. Again, I said one, not all.

For those that believe the Giants would command much more in a trade or feel MadBum won’t be moved, here’s what Buster Olney of ESPN had to say earlier in the season.

"“The left-hander would become the most coveted trade target in baseball—maybe one of the most sought-after summer market pieces in baseball history—if the Giants ever auctioned him off, and he would probably glean at least two high-end prospects for an organization thin on minor-league talent,” Olney opined."

For Yankees GM Brian Cashman, if there’s a will, there’s a way. We’ll just have to see which pitcher or pitchers, Cash value most this winter. Because unless Clayton Kershaw opts out of his current contract with the Dodgers, there aren’t any available free agent starters that offer the same upside as dealing for Madison Bumgarner.