The Los Angeles Dodgers may have pursued Gerrit Cole in free agency, but their chances of landing him were always unrealistic due to a combination of heavier interest from the Yankees and Angels, and the Dodgers’ restraint with money. The Dodgers are not a team that drops $200 million on a player. Around $100 million or so is more their speed. That’s why their next free agent target makes much more sense.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the Dodgers will shift their focus to Madison Bumgarner.
#Dodgers will now shift their focus to free-agent left-hander Madison Bumgarner, sources tell The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2019
Bumgarner is reportedly looking for more than $100 million over five years.
Bumgarner is 30 and has already pitched 1,846 career regular season innings and 102.1 postseason innings. He made 34 starts last season but posted a 3.90 ERA — the worst of his career. His stuff seems good and his fastball velocity was fine, so a return to form seems like it could still happen.
The question is whether Bumgarner would ever join his rival after playing for the Giants for 11 seasons. One thing the Dodgers can offer him is the opportunity to bat, which is something that will likely appeal to him since he’s a good hitter. The Angels, who also missed out on Cole, could be another team to have interest in Bumgarner.
Dodgers fans, show everyone who runs LA with this great T-shirt:
