Giants’ new GM could deal Bumgarner

The Giants have been a loyal bunch when re-signing players with championship pedigree, almost to a fault. Staying attached to those who were part of three World Series titles was common practice, often for a year or two too long.

Now they’re moving in a new direction and will hire someone from the outside to replace dismissed Bobby Evans and run baseball operations — “Next Gen,” in CEO Larry Baer’s words — and that means his or her connection with the Giants’ past will be zilch.

Presumably, that also means Next Gen will put everyone in the baseball department, including those with championship rings, on a short leash because the future, not the past, will be emphasized.

Next Gen will see a franchise that scuffled for 2½ seasons and has too many players on the wrong side of 30 and a thin minor-league system and, therefore, could be willing to make wholesale changes on and off the field.

That is, if Baer and ownership give Next Gen full authority to do so, which is unspecified. But if that’s the case, more than ever, the Giants would be open to trading one of the main links to all three championship parades, Madison Bumgarner.

If Next Gen believes the Giants can’t win next year and convinces Baer a Bumgarner trade would be a major step in bringing valuable players of the future to the mix, then the lefty’s final start with the Giants could be Friday against the Dodgers.

Bumgarner, 29, can be a free agent after next season, and it would be just like the Giants to extend him several more years at top dollar, but Next Gen’s vision could be far different, especially with no kinship to Bumgarner.

That also could be true with Brandon Belt, though if the first baseman were traded, the Giants would need to pay down much of his contract. Teams would have interest in his high on-base percentage, excellent defense and potential to power up in ballparks beyond China Basin.

Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford have no-trade clauses. Otherwise, everyone’s potential trade bait, ring or no ring. That’s what must be realized and accepted with this change of command.