Madison Bumgarner Rumors: Padres Among Teams Interested in Ex-Giants SP

The San Diego Padres could be targeting a long-time division rival in free agency. 

The team reportedly has interest in former San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner and representatives from the two sides are set to meet at the general manager meetings, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Heyman also noted the squad has been "connected" to Stephen Strasburg.

Strasburg would be an ideal fit for the Padres as a San Diego native coming off a World Series MVP campaign with the Washington Nationals. However, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune recently reported the team "will not be in the market" for him if the price remains high.

Bumgarner could come at a more reasonable price after producing a career-low 3.90 ERA last season after a pair of injury-filled seasons.

Of course, the 30-year-old remains an elite option in free agency thanks to his career 3.13 ERA across 11 seasons while earning four All-Star selections. He has been especially dominant in the playoffs with an 8-3 record and 2.11 ERA in 16 appearances, helping the Giants win three World Series titles.

He was named NLCS MVP and WS MVP during the 2014 title run. 

The left-hander has also been mostly durable in his career with over 200 innings in seven of the last nine years. His 34 starts in 2019 showed that he was past his injury troubles from 2017 and 2018.

His addition would be huge for a San Diego staff that ranked 12th in the National League with a 4.60 ERA and had 16 different players start a game. 

With 17 career starts already at Petco Park, Bumgarner could feel right at home.