PHILADELPHIA -- A month ago, the Giants were the team preparing to dominate the trade deadline. They had the best starting pitcher available and best reliever available, but a strong July changed some plans.
They have remained open to discussions, though, because you never know when someone else will get desperate and overpay. With a few hours before the deadline, it seems it's lining up for contenders to do just that.
Trevor Bauer was dealt from the Indians to the non-contending Reds on Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning there was word from the New York Post's Joel Sherman that Noah Syndergaard has been pulled off the market. The Mets previously had acquired Marcus Stroman.
Told Noah Syndergaard was pulled off the trade market last night. He is staying with the #Mets— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 31, 2019
Add it all up and there simply aren't enough top-end starters to go around at a time when the Yankees, Astros, Braves and others are looking for postseason rotation help. That could change the math for Farhan Zaidi, as Madison Bumgarner again stands alone as the best trade chip out there.
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Robbie Ray of the Diamondbacks and Zack Wheeler of the Mets are also available, but neither has anywhere close to the resume that Bumgarner has.
Of course, that's a big part of why the Giants have held him thus far. They're back in the wild card hunt and Bumgarner would like to lead the charge.
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Sources continue to tell NBC Sports Bay Area that Bumgarner is optimistic he will stay, but the Giants are doing their due diligence. The offers were always expected to get much better in the hours before the deadline, and if the Syndergaard news is true, you can be sure that Zaidi's phone has been blowing up all morning.
