The Philadelphia Phillies head into the offseason looking for pitching. After consecutive seasons of disappointment, the front office is reportedly targeting pitcher Madison Bumgarner as an answer to their pitching woes.
According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Phillies are “actively interested” in Bumgarner and believe the southpaw would be the perfect complement to their rotation.
While Bumgarner is no longer at the level that fans saw during an all-time great stretch with the San Francisco Giants in the 2016 World Series, the southpaw could be an excellent fit in Philadelphia’s rotation.
Bumgarner is coming off a 2019 season that saw him record a 3.90 ERA with 203 strikeouts and 191 hits allowed in 207.2 innings. He also showed improvement after the All-Star Break with a .228/.278/.414 slash line allowed to opposing hitters in 96 innings.
Currently, all five of Philadelphia’s projected starting pitchers (Aaron Nola, Jake Arrieta, Zach Eflin, Nick Pivetta and Vince Velasquez) are righties. Bumgarner would bring postseason experience, for a team with playoff aspirations, and provide the southpaw that the team desperately needs.