Phillies trade rumor: Madison Bumgarner trade could come early

Another Phillies trade rumor spins the rumor mill along as the summer approaches

If a Phillies trade rumor regarding adding starting pitching comes up, it will more than likely include San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner.

According to Jayson Stark of The Atheltic in an interview with Mike Missanelli on 97.5 The Fanatic, a Bumgarner trade could come sooner rather than later.

“I’m hearing that Madison Bumgarner could be traded as early as mid June and the Phillies will be in on that.”

Philadelphia’s rotation has been in flux with Nick Pivetta bouncing between Lehigh Valley and the big leagues and Vince Velasquez (finally) being moved to the bullpen.

Philadelphia has seen success from Zach Eflin, who leads the team with a 2.0 WAR and a 3.02 ERA in 11 starts. Eflin, Aaron Nola, and Jake Arrieta each have five wins in 11 starts this year, while Cole Irvin, Velasquez, and Jerad Eickhoff have filled in the remainder of the wins.

Just as they have experienced over the last couple of years, Philadelphia’s rotation has too many questions for a team now looking to compete. Adding a veteran with postseason experience like Bumgarner could be a game-changer for this young rotation.

Bumgarner’s numbers haven’t been stellar this year and he’s on the final year of a contract with San Francisco. In 11 games Bumgarner has a 4.10 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 68 innings.

Philadelphia is on Bumgarner’s no-trade list, which could simply be leverage if Bumgarner wants to choose where he goes this summer.

Another important note is that there’s only one trade deadline this summer after the league eliminated the August 31st waiver trade deadline.