Phillies: 5 free agent starting pitchers they could sign

Madison Bumgarner

Madison Bumgarner’s postseason heroics and embodiment of old school baseball has him adored in San Francisco for all time, but the Giants aren’t getting close to winning anytime soon, and Bumgarner isn’t getting any younger.

A Giant for life thus far, it might take more than expected to lure him away from San Francisco, but Bumgarner loves to win, and it can be expected that he’ll agree to sign with a contender.

His injury issues are well-chronicled, but Bumgarner has seemingly put that knock to rest with another 200+ inning season in 2019.

Bumgarner’s stuff is still there, and his funky delivery will always throw hitters off. His ability to mix pitches from the left side as well as hit his spots makes him especially valuable to the Phillies, who haven’t had a great lefty in their rotation since Cole Hamels.

What truly makes Bumgarner one of the top pitchers over the last decade has been his competitiveness on the bump, something a few of the guys on the Phillies roster could do well to learn from. While that competitiveness gets him into trouble at times with other teams, it would be hard to imagine Philly fans not enjoying a bulldog out on the mound.

Not to be undervalued in the national league is Bumgarner’s hitting tool, which has come to fruition in playoff situations. He’ll likely be costly, but Bumgarner would immediately improve the Phils rotation from a No.2 or No.3 slot.