Three Cuts: Ronald Acuña Jr. back where he belongs for Atlanta Braves at leadoff

MLB On FOX reporter Ken Rosenthal reported Saturday that Bumgarner — the four-time All-Star and World Series MVP, who is in a walk year — has an eight-team no-trade list: the Astros, Braves, Brewers, Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, Red Sox and Yankees.

It’s a list made up strictly of contenders and, no, Bumgarner isn’t putting himself in position to spend the fall at home. In having those specific teams on his list, he’s created a situation where he would need to accept a deal to whatever team or teams are vying for his services.

Frankly, it’s a deft move, but it does pose the question in terms of the Braves: is Bumgarner the right fit for this rotation?

Due the prorated balance of $12 million, Bumgarner may not be the same pitcher that from 2011-16 threw the fourth-most innings in baseball (1,276 2/3). He hasn’t gone over 129 2/3 innings since ’16, which is the last time he was a more than 1.6 fWAR player.

But there are positives amid this season in which the 29-year-old left-hander has made eight starts with a 3.99 ERA and 3.48 FIP.

Bumgarner’s average fastball velocity of 91.8 mph is the highest it’s been in four years, resulting in the his best K/9 (9.24) in three years and the walk-rate of 1.45 is his best of any season.

The changeup has also become a bigger weapon, with 2.8 wCH runs above average, the most effective the pitch has been for Bumgarner in nine seasons.

Giants executive Vice President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi was with Anthopoulos in the Dodgers’ front office, making them logical trade partners.

That being said, ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian speculated that San Francisco could want as many as four top youngsters to make it happen and supplement one of the game’s worst farm systems.

It’s a price that is likely to be too steep for the Braves to acquire a player who will be a free agent after the season. But in putting Atlanta on his list, the North Carolina native Bumgarner has at least laid open the possibility that the defending National League East champs are going to remain in the conversation for his services.

Follow Cory McCartney on Twitter @coryjmccartney and Facebook. His books, ‘Tales from the Atlanta Braves Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Braves Stories Ever Told,’ and ‘The Heisman Trophy: The Story of an American Icon and Its Winners.’ are now available.

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