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3 Potential Replacements for Madison Bumgarner if He Leaves the Giants in Free Agency

By David Kaestle

Madison Bumgarner throwing a pitch in a game against the San Diego Padres
Madison Bumgarner throwing a pitch in a game against the San Diego Padres / Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
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Madison Bumgarner has become a household name in San Francisco after more than a decade of pitching for the Giants. He was an instrumental part in helping the Giants capture three World Series titles (2010, 2012 and 2014).

However, with Bumgarner ultimately expected to leave San Francisco and sign somewhere else in free agency this offseason, let's take a look at three pitchers the Giants could sign to replace the gap Bumgarner's departure would leave at the top of their rotation.

3. Julio Teheran

Julio Teheran winds up to throw a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLDS.
Julio Teheran winds up to throw a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLDS. / Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

With names like Stephen Strasburg and Zack Wheeler off the market, Julio Teheran is arguably one of the best pitchers left. He finished last season with a 10-11 record, 3.81 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 174 2/3 innings pitched. Spanning his nine seasons with the Braves, Teheran made 222 starts for Atlanta, which marks the fourth-highest total in the MLB since 2013. Even though Teheran's season-long ERAs have been closer to 4.00 than 3.00 in recent years, his durability is a proven asset.

2. Dallas Keuchel

Dallas Keuchel pitches in the Divisional Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Dallas Keuchel pitches in the Divisional Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. / Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Dallas Keuchel may not be the ace of the staff he once was with the Houston Astros, but his numbers weren't all too different from Bumgarner's last season. Keuchel finished a shortened 2019 campaign with an 8-8 record, 3.75 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 112 2/3 innings pitched. Bumgarner was 9-9 with a 3.90 ERA and 203 strikeouts in 297 2/3 innings pitched. While that was a down season for Bumgarner, if Keuchel can improve on those 2019 numbers in 2020, he could turn out to be a much better value for the Giants.

1. Hyun-Jin Ryu

Hyun-Jin Ryu pitches in the 2019 NLDS.
Hyun-Jin Ryu pitches in the 2019 NLDS. / Will Newton/Getty Images

Hyun-Jin Ryu was a stud for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, finishing the year with a 14-5 record, a 2.32 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 182 2/3 innings pitched. He wasn't the ace of the staff, as Clayton Kershaw is cemented in that role for Los Angeles, but Ryu could certainly be that for the Giants if Bumgarner departs. And since he will be 33 years old by the time the 2020 MLB season rolls around, he should come with a cheaper price tag than Bumgarner's expected rate. Additionally, if the Dodgers go big-game hunting for Gerrit Cole, it would be much more likely to see them let Ryu walk away.

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David Kaestle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, David also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username davekaestle. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.