Minnesota Twins rumors: Madison Bumgarner seeking nine-figure deal
By Chris Schad
The Minnesota Twins are still pursuing Madison Bumgarner, but it appears his asking price will hit north of $100 million.
How bad do the Minnesota Twins want Madison Bumgarner? That’s a question that Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey and General Manager Thad Levine have to be asking right now as the free-agent market continues to heat up at MLB’s Winter Meetings.
After striking out on Zack Wheeler, the Twins have been strongly linked to Bumgarner as one of the top prizes on the free-agent market with top pitchers Stephen Strasburg, who re-signed with the Washington Nationals on Monday and Gerrit Cole available to only the upper echelon of suitors.
What was once to be a potential steal on the free-agent market hasn’t turned out that way, however as Bumgarner’s camp has seen what has transpired around him and now wants to get paid. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Bumgarner is now seeking a five-year deal in excess of $100 million, which is the same deal the Twins reportedly offered Wheeler last week.
Bumgarner has several positives including three World Series rings and four All-Star appearances but hasn’t been selected for the Midsummer Classic since the 2016 season. Although he’s at 30 years old, Bumgarner has also thrown for over 200 innings seven times during his big league career, which started back in 2009.
The risk may have the Twins consider alternatives that may have a safer cost to risk ratio and other pitchers such as Hyun-Jin Ryu have also been mentioned in part because of their demands for a shorter contract that could allow the Twins to call up some of their top pitching prospects such as Brusdar Graterol, Jordan Balazovic and Jhoan Duran once they are ready.
Next. How Stephen Strasburg's deal affects the Twins' plans. dark
If there is one thing for certain, it’s that the Twins can’t afford to not come away with a quality starter this offseason. While trades are still an option, the idea of adding Bumgarner to the rotation is still an intriguing blend of paying for past performance and what he could do in the future.