Report: Bumgarner has these 8 teams on no-trade list

As teams prepare to potentially pursue Giants left-hander and free-agent-to-be Madison Bumgarner, the veteran southpaw has done some strategizing of his own.

Bumgarner’s contract allows him to block trades to eight teams, and sources told MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal that his list includes the Braves, Red Sox, Cubs, Astros, Brewers, Yankees, Phillies and Cardinals.

Now, the fact that those teams are on Bumgarner’s list doesn’t necessarily mean he wants to avoid them. Rather, it’s a way for Bumgarner to gain some leverage over his situation, as the eight teams are all contenders that could be interested in acquiring him before the non-waiver Trade Deadline.

As Rosenthal notes, Bumgarner will likely be motivated to approve a trade because players who are dealt during the season are not eligible to receive a qualifying offer in free agency the following offseason.

Up until the next year’s MLB Draft, teams need to forfeit one or more picks to sign a free agent who rejected a qualifying offer, which can sometimes put a damper on a player’s free-agent value. That is believed to be one of the reasons why Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel remain unsigned, as both players rejected qualifying offers. The market for each player is expected to pick up once the Draft passes June 3-5.

Although Bumgarner has a 3.99 ERA this season, which would represent a career high, his FIP is 3.50, and he has boosted his K-BB% to 21.2 percent, up from a career-low 12 percent last season.

Bumgarner also has a lengthy track record of dominating in the postseason, which should make him a particularly attractive trade target for teams with World Series aspirations.