The clock seemed to be ticking on Madison Bumgarner's day as a Giant ever since his first pitch on Opening Day this season. The combination of his upcoming free agency and San Francisco's roster that featured the likes of Connor Joe and Michael Reed made an eventual trade inevitable.
Not so fast.
As the Giants have caught fire and find themselves in the NL wild-card race, the chances of Bumgarner finishing at least this season in San Francisco seem to be increasing. MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported Tuesday morning that "few see MadBum going anywhere now" before the July 31 MLB trade deadline.
The Giants have won 16 of their last 19 games after rallying back for a 5-4 victory Monday night over the Cubs at Oracle Park. Entering Tuesday's slate of games, they're tied with the D-backs for second in the NL West and sit two games back for the second wild card spot.
"No way Giants can sell, they're on fire," a rival exec said to Heyman.
Bumgarner, who has spent his entire 10-year career with the Giants, found himself at the center of trade talks all offseason and they've carried over every week during the regular season. After his latest start Friday, he made his feelings clear on trade rumors.
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"I don't give a s--t," he said. "I'm here to win games for this team, and that's what we're doing."
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Bumgarner, like the rest of the Giants, is enjoying his best month of the season. He has a 1.13 ERA in July, allowing only two earned runs over three starts. On the season, he owns a 3.65 ERA and 1.178 WHIP.
If the Giants are going to make a push for the playoffs in manager Bruce Bochy's final season, there might not be anyone else you want down the stretch on the mound than MadBum.
