Milwaukee Brewers: Creating A Trade Package For Madison Bumgarner

There have been rumors surrounding the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Francisco Giants about trade talks centered around ace lefty Madison Bumgarner. What could he possibly cost in a trade?

Jon Morosi of MLB Network characterized the Milwaukee Brewers as the most likely destination for Madison Bumgarner this offseason. That got us wondering what kind of return the Giants might be demanding in negotiations.

The Giants FanSided site, Around The Foghorn, reached out and we discussed what a potential deal between the two teams should look like. Here is the trade package we came up with.

Proposed Trade Package For Madison Bumgarner

In this deal, the Milwaukee Brewers send third baseman Lucas Erceg as the centerpiece of the trade. Erceg was a second round selection of the Brewers back in 2016. He has above-average pop and is seen as a strong defender at the hot corner. He struggled a little bit in 2018, but still has a high ceiling.

Caden Lemons was an early draft pick of the Brewers in 2017, as well. He’s still very young at 20 years old, and there’s a lot of projection left for him. In rookie ball in 2018, Lemons pitched to a 4.26 ERA in 10 games. He’s currently the Brewers 14th ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline.

Je’Von Ward is an outfielder that was selected in the 12th round in the 2017 draft. He had a strong season in rookie-level Helena, hitting .307 with a .795 OPS. The 6’5″ outfielder should get some more power as he fills out, but right now, he’s a speed-first outfielder.

This would be three Top 30 prospects from the Milwaukee Brewers for Bumgarner. While many fans will call that an extremely high price, the Brewers farm system isn’t as deep in top talent as it used to be. Even though it’s only one year of Bumgarner, none of these three players are cornerstones in the future. Travis Shaw has third base on lockdown for the next couple years, which could make Erceg expendable.

Madison Bumgarner

In return, the Brewers get the ace starting pitcher they’ve been looking for. The postseason pedigree of Bumgarner speaks for itself. He has a 2.11 ERA in 102.1 innings, along with three World Series rings and a World Series MVP trophy along with it.

However, he’s only under control for one more season, and he’s likely to leave in free agency next winter. He’s also declined a little bit the past two seasons, as injuries have started to take their toll on him. Bumgarner’s velocity has dropped the past two seasons, and his swinging strike rate has also dropped.

There’s a lot of risk in getting Bumgarner as the big pitching acquisition of the offseason. I’m not saying the Brewers should or should not make this projected trade. I’m merely suggesting this is what a trade could look like if completed.

If the Milwaukee Brewers want to add an ace to their staff, Bumgarner is the one pitcher on the market most likely to get traded.