Giants Should’ve Easily Re-Signed Madison Bumgarner for What Diamondbacks Are Paying Him

There was plenty of speculation surrounding ex-San Francisco Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner. Many believed he would go to the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, who had been linked to the 30-year-old on multiple occasions.

Instead, it was the Arizona Diamondbacks who surprisingly signed Bumgarner to a five-year, $85 million contract on Sunday afternoon. Considering the team claiming residence in the middle of the NL West division standings brought in Bumgarner on such a sweet deal, why couldn't the Giants offer him a similar offer?

Reports circulated throughout the MLB Winter Meetings that the starting price for Bumgarner would be around $100 million, with his price expected to be in the ballpark of that of new Philadelphia Phillies starter Zack Wheeler.

In the end, the Diamondbacks brought him in on a relatively cheap deal, and it begs the question of why the Giants didn't try to bring him back.

At that price, the Giants certainly would have been able to afford a deal for the beloved southpaw, enabling him to play another half-decade in The Bay. Instead, they'll have the pleasure of battling him in the division for the next five seasons.

Now, the man who helped bring three World Series titles to San Francisco will be heading to the desert to haunt his former franchise for the foreseeable future. The Giants front office completely blew it, and they should be kicking themselves for not making a bigger effort to lock down Bumgarner.

Hey, at least he didn't go to the Dodgers, right?