madison bumgarner designated for assignment

Diamondbacks designate Madison Bumgarner for assignment

Madison Bumgarner has been designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks , who will eat more than $34 million remaining on the veteran left-hander's contract.

The Diamondbacks announced the move before Thursday's game against the Padres and recalled left-hander Anthony Misiewicz from Triple-A Reno in a corresponding roster move.

Bumgarner, who signed a five-year, $85 million deal with Arizona before the 2020 season, has struggled during his four years with the Diamondbacks, posting a 5.23 ERA over 69 starts. Perhaps his worst outing with Arizona came Wednesday, when he allowed seven runs in three innings against the St. Louis Cardinals and saw his 2023 ERA balloon to 10.26.

Bumgarner, 33, is owed around $20.4 million for the remainder of this year and $14 million for the 2024 season. Once he clears waivers -- it is unlikely a team would trade for him, as that team would have to assume the remainder of the money on his contract -- Bumgarner would be eligible to sign with a team for the major league minimum of $720,000.

In Wednesday's game, Cardinals hitters mashed five balls at 100 mph-plus and feasted on Bumgarner's fastball, which has dipped on average to 89.5 mph this season, 1.7 mph slower than 2022.

"I wish I had some kind of answers," Bumgarner told reporters. "Not that I'm not going to look for them -- I'm going to look for them. But right now, I don't have any for you guys. I wish I did. But I don't."

At 11-8, Arizona holds a two-game lead in the National League West division. With a young core led by outfielder Corbin Carroll and right-hander Zac Gallen -- and one of the best farm systems in baseball -- the Diamondbacks have prioritized transitioning from their rebuild to being competitive this year.

General manager Mike Hazen said last month that Bumgarner's salary would not impact his role, emphasizing that the Diamondbacks "need to win baseball games."

"We've never been asked to make decisions based on money or anything like that," Hazen said, according to The Arizona Republic. "We need to win baseball games. We're trying to win every single baseball game we're going out to play. We want the five guys in the rotation to solidify those spots and give us some stability there. ... We'll continue to assess it as we go, but we need to win baseball games."

Bumgarner arrived in Arizona after 11 standout seasons with the San Francisco Giants , where he won three World Series and made four All-Star Games. Long known for his intensity on the mound, he was involved in a brief verbal spat Wednesday with Willson Contreras after the Cardinals catcher fouled off a pitch. The two appeared to exchange multiple expletives before Contreras walked and emphatically flipped his bat.

Bumgarner did not reveal specific details about what Contreras said or did to bother him, telling reporters, "If you can't see it, I don't know how to help," before ultimately acknowledging that he needs to "pitch better."

"It's very tough," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Wednesday. "The empathetic side of me hurts for him, and I want every pitcher to do well and I know how hard he's working. He's just grinding.

"The other side of me is extremely frustrated. I just want to see everybody do well to help us win baseball games, and of course that didn't happen today."

Diamondbacks’ Madison Bumgarner DFA’d, per source: What went wrong in Arizona?

The Arizona Diamondbacks designated veteran left-hander Madison Bumgarner for assignment, a team source confirmed to The Athletic on Thursday. The Arizona Republic was first to report the news. Here’s what you need to know:

• The move comes after Bumgarner allowed seven runs in three innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, inflating his ERA to 10.26 for the season.
• Bumgarner, 33, is in his fourth season with Arizona and recorded a 5.23 ERA with 276 strikeouts in 363 1/3 innings pitched during his tenure with the club.

The Athletic ’s instant analysis:

What went wrong in Arizona?

Signing Bumgarner before the 2020 season carried a fair amount of risk given all the innings on his arm, and it’s certainly gone worse than the Diamondbacks imagined. Except for a few brief stretches of competence, Bumgarner has been nothing but a liability in the rotation. His already below-average velocity has dropped further and his command has suffered.

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Additionally, Diamondbacks personnel have at times been bothered by his lack of work ethic, especially when he showed up to prepare for the shortened 2020 season overweight and not having touched a ball during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. — Buchanan

Why DFA Bumgarner now?

This isn’t the first time, though, that Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen has decided to cut bait on a costly mistake, although this is the first such instance in which it was  his  mistake. Hazen inherited costly Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomás from the Dave Stewart regime, yet was content to stash the guy in Triple A for several years until his contract expired.

Given that Bumgarner had provided negative production while taking up a roster spot, he’s been even more of a sunk cost. — Buchanan

Who replaces him in the rotation?

The most appealing replacement for Bumgarner would be right-handed prospect Brandon Pfaadt, who is highly regarded by scouts. But the Diamondbacks could also turn to another lefty in Tommy Henry, who already has major-league experience and is already on the 40-man roster. Henry hasn’t had as much success in Triple A, however.

Whomever the Diamondbacks tab, the team will have essentially tapped its rotation depth before April is even over. Arizona already has Drey Jameson filling in for the injured Zach Davies . — Buchanan

Bumgarner signed a five-year, $85 million deal with the Diamondbacks ahead of the 2020 season. The club owes him $23 million in 2023 and $14 million in 2024.

The southpaw came to Arizona after spending the first 11 seasons of his major-league career with the San Francisco Giants . During his standout Giants tenure, Bumgarner won three World Series, earned World Series MVP in 2014 and made four All-Star teams.

However, he hasn’t seen the same results with the Diamondbacks.

“I wish I had some kind of answers,” Bumgarner told reporters after Wednesday’s 14-5 loss to the Cardinals. “Not that I’m not gonna look for them — I’m gonna look for them. But right now, I don’t have any for you guys. I wish I did. But I don’t.”

“The empathetic side of me hurts for him,” manager Torey Lovullo said of Bumgarner’s outing. “I want every pitcher to do well and I know how hard he’s working. He’s just grinding.”

Despite Bumgarner’s struggles, Arizona has fared well to start the season and sits atop the National League West with an 11-8 record.

Required reading

• MLB Power Rankings: Mets rise; Padres, Yankees fall and the Rays are Los Reyes
• MLB All-30: One worrisome early-season trend for each team

(Photo: Rhona Wise / USA Today)

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D-backs designate 4-time All-Star Bumgarner for assignment

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner, center, stands on the mound with third baseman Evan Longoria, left, and catcher Gabriel Moreno (14) during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, April 14, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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PHOENIX (AP) — The up-and-coming Arizona Diamondbacks see themselves as potential contenders in the National League West after a good start to the season.

That optimism forced general manager Mike Hazen to make a tough decision on Thursday.

The D-backs designated four-time All-Star Madison Bumgarner for assignment following his latest shaky start, eating just over $34.4 million of the salary from his $85 million, five-year deal that was signed in 2020.

“I ask our players and staff to have urgency around how we’re going to play and attack, so I have to do the same thing,” Hazen said. “That was part of the reason we made a decision. The team has played its butts off over the first three weeks of the season, frankly.”

The move takes Bumgarner off the team’s 40-man roster and leaves Arizona seven days to trade the 2014 World Series MVP or else place him on outright waivers. The Diamondbacks announced the move Thursday, a day after Bumgarner allowed seven runs in three innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The big left-hander hasn’t lived up to expectations in the desert since signing his long-term deal in 2020. A postseason hero for San Francisco, he has gone 15-32 with a 5.23 ERA in 69 starts and is having his worst season with Arizona.

The 33-year-old has allowed at least five runs in three of his four starts and dropped to 1-3 with a 10.26 ERA after his latest blowup at St. Louis.

“I wish I had some kind of answers,” Bumgarner said after Wednesday’s game. “Not that I’m not going look for them — I’m going to look for them. But right now, I don’t have any for you guys. I wish I did. But I don’t.”

Hazen praised Bumgarner on Thursday, saying the pitcher came to spring training in great shape and did everything he could to improve. There were occasional good moments, but he was never close to the same pitcher he was in San Francisco.

Hazen said he wasn’t sure why Bumgarner’s steep decline couldn’t be stopped.

“We’ve all lost a lot of sleep over it, trying to answer that question,” Hazen said. “I haven’t answered it yet and we’re here today, so I don’t have the answer for you. It just didn’t work out.”

Bumgarner is owed $20.4 million this season and roughly $34.4 million on the remainder of his contract. If he clears waivers, he would be clear to sign with any team for a prorated share of the league minimum of $720,000.

Bumgarner was one of baseball’s best pitchers during 11 seasons with the Giants, helping them win three World Series titles. He was a workhorse for San Francisco during that time, going over 200 innings seven times in addition to 16 postseason appearances, including a memorable five-inning save in Game 7 of the ’14 Series.

The D-backs have several options to take Bumgarner’s spot in the rotation, including prospects Tommy Henry and Brandon Pfaadt. They called up lefty reliever Anthony Misiewicz to bolster the bullpen in the meantime.

AP Sports Writer John Marshall contributed to this report.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Diamondbacks designate Madison Bumgarner for assignment

After yet another poor start to begin the season, the Arizona Diamondbacks are cutting ties with veteran left-hander Madison Bumgarner.

The Diamondbacks still owe Bumgarner, 33, roughly $38 million on the five-year, $85 million contract he signed with them as a free agent after the 2019 season.

His 2023 season has gotten off to a rocky start, with a 10.26 ERA over 16 ⅔ innings. In his last start on Wednesday, Bumgarner got into a shouting match with Willson Contreras of the St. Louis Cardinals as he was in the process of giving up a season-high seven earned runs in just three innings of work.

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Bumgarner was a four-time All-Star and the 2014 World Series MVP in his 11 seasons with the San Francisco Giants. Over that span he posted a 119-92 record and 3.13 ERA.

All things D'backs: Latest Arizona Diamondbacks news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

However, his career with Arizona has been much less successful.

He's never had a winning record with the Diamondbacks (15-32 overall) and his career ERA with them  in four seasons (5.23) is more than two runs higher than it was with the Giants.

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PHOENIX — The up-and-coming Arizona Diamondbacks see themselves as potential contenders in the National League West after a good start to the season.

That optimism forced general manager Mike Hazen to make a tough decision.

The D-backs designated four-time All-Star Madison Bumgarner for assignment following his latest shaky start, eating nearly $34.4 million of the salary from his five-year, $85 million deal that was signed in 2020.

“I ask our players and staff to have urgency around how we’re going to play and attack, so I have to do the same thing,” Hazen said. “That was part of the reason we made a decision. The team has played its butts off over the first three weeks of the season, frankly.”

The move takes Bumgarner off the team’s 40-man roster and leaves Arizona seven days to trade the 2014 World Series MVP or else place him on outright waivers. The Diamondbacks announced the move Thursday, a day after Bumgarner allowed seven runs in three innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The big left-hander hasn’t lived up to expectations in the desert since signing his long-term deal in 2020. A postseason hero for San Francisco, he has gone 15-32 with a 5.23 ERA in 69 starts and is having his worst season with Arizona.

The 33-year-old has allowed at least five runs in three of his four starts and dropped to 1-3 with a 10.26 ERA after his latest blowup at St. Louis.

“I wish I had some kind of answers,” Bumgarner said after Wednesday’s game. “Not that I’m not going look for them - I’m going to look for them. But right now, I don’t have any for you guys. I wish I did. But I don’t.”

Hazen praised Bumgarner on Thursday, saying the pitcher came to spring training in great shape and did everything he could to improve. There were occasional good moments, but he was never close to the same pitcher he was in San Francisco.

Hazen said he wasn’t sure why Bumgarner’s steep decline couldn’t be stopped.

“We’ve all lost a lot of sleep over it, trying to answer that question,” Hazen said. “I haven’t answered it yet and we’re here today, so I don’t have the answer for you. It just didn’t work out.”

Bumgarner is owed $20.4 million this season and roughly $34.4 million on the remainder of his contract. If he clears waivers, he would be clear to sign with any team for a prorated share of the league minimum of $720,000.

Bumgarner was one of baseball’s best pitchers during 11 seasons with the Giants, helping them win three World Series titles. He was a workhorse for San Francisco during that time, going over 200 innings seven times in addition to 16 postseason appearances, including a memorable five-inning save in Game 7 of the ’14 Series.

The D-backs have several options to take Bumgarner’s spot in the rotation, including prospects Tommy Henry and Brandon Pfaadt. They called up lefty reliever Anthony Misiewicz to bolster the bullpen in the meantime.

D-backs designate 4-time All-Star Bumgarner for assignment

PHOENIX (AP) — The up-and-coming Arizona Diamondbacks see themselves as potential contenders in the National League West after a good start to the season.

That optimism forced general manager Mike Hazen to make a tough decision on Thursday.

The D-backs designated four-time All-Star Madison Bumgarner for assignment following his latest shaky start, eating just over $34.4 million of the salary from his $85 million, five-year deal that was signed in 2020.

“I ask our players and staff to have urgency around how we’re going to play and attack, so I have to do the same thing,” Hazen said. “That was part of the reason we made a decision. The team has played its butts off over the first three weeks of the season, frankly.”

The move takes Bumgarner off the team’s 40-man roster and leaves Arizona seven days to trade the 2014 World Series MVP or else place him on outright waivers. The Diamondbacks announced the move Thursday, a day after Bumgarner allowed seven runs in three innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The big left-hander hasn’t lived up to expectations in the desert since signing his long-term deal in 2020. A postseason hero for San Francisco, he has gone 15-32 with a 5.23 ERA in 69 starts and is having his worst season with Arizona.

The 33-year-old has allowed at least five runs in three of his four starts and dropped to 1-3 with a 10.26 ERA after his latest blowup at St. Louis.

“I wish I had some kind of answers,” Bumgarner said after Wednesday’s game. “Not that I’m not going look for them — I’m going to look for them. But right now, I don’t have any for you guys. I wish I did. But I don’t.”

Hazen praised Bumgarner on Thursday, saying the pitcher came to spring training in great shape and did everything he could to improve. There were occasional good moments, but he was never close to the same pitcher he was in San Francisco.

Hazen said he wasn’t sure why Bumgarner’s steep decline couldn’t be stopped.

“We’ve all lost a lot of sleep over it, trying to answer that question,” Hazen said. “I haven’t answered it yet and we’re here today, so I don’t have the answer for you. It just didn’t work out.”

Bumgarner is owed $20.4 million this season and roughly $34.4 million on the remainder of his contract. If he clears waivers, he would be clear to sign with any team for a prorated share of the league minimum of $720,000.

Bumgarner was one of baseball’s best pitchers during 11 seasons with the Giants, helping them win three World Series titles. He was a workhorse for San Francisco during that time, going over 200 innings seven times in addition to 16 postseason appearances, including a memorable five-inning save in Game 7 of the ’14 Series.

The D-backs have several options to take Bumgarner’s spot in the rotation, including prospects Tommy Henry and Brandon Pfaadt. They called up lefty reliever Anthony Misiewicz to bolster the bullpen in the meantime.

AP Sports Writer John Marshall contributed to this report.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Sources: Diamondbacks designate Madison Bumgarner for assignment

Madison Bumgarner was designated for assignment Thursday by the Arizona Diamondbacks , who will eat more than $34 million remaining on the veteran left-hander's contract, sources told ESPN.

Bumgarner, who signed a five-year, $85 million deal with Arizona before the 2020 season, has struggled during his four years with the Diamondbacks, posting a 5.23 ERA over 69 starts. Perhaps his worst outing with Arizona came Wednesday, when he allowed seven runs in three innings against the St. Louis Cardinals and saw his 2023 ERA balloon to 10.26.

Bumgarner, 33, is owed around $20.4 million for the remainder of this year and $14 million for the 2024 season. Once he clears waivers -- it is unlikely a team would trade for him, as that team would have to assume the remainder of the money on his contract -- Bumgarner would be eligible to sign with a team for the major league minimum of $720,000.

In Wednesday's game, Cardinals hitters mashed five balls at 100 mph-plus and feasted on Bumgarner's fastball, which has dipped on average to 89.5 mph this season, 1.7 mph slower than 2022.

"I wish I had some kind of answers," Bumgarner told reporters. "Not that I'm not going to look for them -- I'm going to look for them. But right now, I don't have any for you guys. I wish I did. But I don't."

At 11-8, Arizona holds a two-game lead in the National League West division. With a young core led by outfielder Corbin Carroll and right-hander Zac Gallen -- and one of the best farm systems in baseball -- the Diamondbacks have prioritized transitioning from their rebuild to being competitive this year.

General manager Mike Hazen said last month that Bumgarner's salary would not impact his role, emphasizing that the Diamondbacks "need to win baseball games."

"We've never been asked to make decisions based on money or anything like that," Hazen said, according to the Arizona Republic. "We need to win baseball games. We're trying to win every single baseball game we're going out to play. We want the five guys in the rotation to solidify those spots and give us some stability there. ... We'll continue to assess it as we go, but we need to win baseball games."

Bumgarner arrived in Arizona after 11 standout seasons with the San Francisco Giants , where he won three World Series and made four All-Star Games. Long known for his intensity on the mound, he was involved in a brief verbal spat Wednesday with Willson Contreras after the Cardinals catcher fouled off a pitch. The two appeared to exchange multiple expletives before Contreras walked and emphatically flipped his bat.

Bumgarner did not reveal specific details about what Contreras said or did to bother him, telling reporters, "If you can't see it, I don't know how to help," before ultimately acknowledging that he needs to "pitch better."

"It's very tough," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Wednesday. "The empathetic side of me hurts for him, and I want every pitcher to do well and I know how hard he's working. He's just grinding.

"The other side of me is extremely frustrated. I just want to see everybody do well to help us win baseball games, and of course that didn't happen today."

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Diamondbacks Designate Madison Bumgarner For Assignment

By Steve Adams | April 20, 2023 at 11:59pm CDT

The Diamondbacks have designated left-hander Madison Bumgarner for assignment, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic . The D-backs have formally announced the move. Left-hander Anthony Misiewicz has been recalled from Triple-A Reno to take Bumgarner’s spot on the 40-man roster.

The Bumgarner DFA comes on the heels of three-plus sub-par seasons for Bumgarner in Arizona, where he signed a five-year, $85MM contract prior to the 2020 season. The 33-year-old left-hander has been generally durable but ineffective for the Snakes, pitching to a lowly 5.23 ERA in 363 1/3 innings and 69 starts under that contract.

Things have taken a particularly pronounced downswing in 2023, however, as Bumgarner has been torched for 20 runs (19 earned) on 25 hits and 15 walks with just 10 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings. The D-backs have lost three of Bumgarner’s four starts this season, including a seven-run three-inning clunker against the Cardinals yesterday, wherein Bumgarner got into a verbal altercation with St. Louis catcher Willson Contreras after apparently taking objection to Contreras’ reaction to a swing and reaction on a pitch he fouled straight back. The team’s lone victory of the season with Bumgarner on the mound came when he was pulled after 4 2/3 innings, three runs and six walks.

Bumgarner’s current 89.6 mph fastball average is down more than three miles per hour from its 92.9 peak. His 11.1% strikeout rate and 16.7% walk rate are both career-worsts by wide margins, and he’s seen his ability to induce swinging strikes (just  6.3%) and chases off the plate (21.1%) evaporate in this season’s four starts.

In seasons past, the Diamondbacks could perhaps sell themselves on occasional glimmers of hope and at least accept that if nothing else, Bumgarner was a durable innings eater who could somewhat narrowly keep his ERA south of 5.00. The Diamondbacks didn’t enter 2021 or 2022 as hopeful contenders anyhow, after all, and Bumgarner gave them a bridge to some of their starting pitching prospects while those promising young arms continued to develop in the upper minors.

That’s no longer the case in 2023, as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco outlined earlier this week in a piece for MLBTR Front Office subscribers , arguing within that the D-backs needed to move on as soon as possible. The D-backs entered the ’23 campaign with an emerging, exciting young core headlined by outfielder Corbin Carroll , and they have one of MLB’s top farm systems to further bolster that group in the near future. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are strong rotation arms, and with a talented collection of youth complementing them (e.g. Ryne Nelson , Drey Jameson and, sooner than later, Brandon Pfaadt ), the starting pitching outlook is bright.

Arizona is out to an 11-8 start, and while the season is still quite young, expectations have shifted. Bumgarner simply hasn’t been a competitive pitcher for them in any capacity this season, and his body of work in three seasons prior gives little reason to hope for a turnaround. With the division looking more vulnerable than it has in years and the D-backs potentially on the rise, it’s just not feasible to continue on with what increasingly looks like a sunk cost.

Exactly how the rotation shakes out from this point forward remains to be seen. Piecoro tweets that 25-year-old left-hander Tommy Henry is expected to start in Bumgarner’s place next time around, though one would imagine that Pfaadt — one of the sport’s top pitching prospects — will get a look in the near future after opening the season in Triple-A. Veteran Zach Davies is also a factor, though he’s currently out with a strained oblique and figures to be sidelined into next month.

What’s clear is that Bumgarner’s time with the D-backs is virtually over. Given the left-hander’s woeful performance not only in 2023 but throughout his D-backs tenure as a whole, there’s no chance another team will roll the dice on the remaining $34.3MM on his contract. Bumgarner is being paid $23MM in 2023 and is still owed a $14MM salary for the 2024 campaign.

The Diamondbacks could technically place him on outright waivers, but he has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment while retaining his salary, and no team would claim the contract anyhow. As such, he’ll likely be placed on release waivers in the coming days and, upon clearing, become a free agent who’s eligible to sign with any other club. Any team that signs Bumgarner would only need to pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the MLB roster. That sum would be subtracted from what the D-backs owe the lefty, but Arizona is effectively committing to eating close to $34MM in dead money by parting ways with Bumgarner at this juncture of his contract.

302 Comments

For once, “Wow!” is the right reaction

Reminds me of a modern day Barry Zito.

He had 6 great years and then ran out of gas. I am surprised he only has 134 wins (134-124…. Barely over .500). Hopefully his career is not over and he helps some team out there.

His last two years with SF, he was out half of the season both times.

pirates lost Brubaker for season. wouldn’t be a bad rebound spot, lineup is OK

Afraid he’s outta gas, reasonable considering the innings workhorse he’s been plus the xtra work of being ace in long playoff series runs all those yrs, father time never loses, there was a period he was best P on planet n was lites out dominating, smothered an offense

The last thing the Pirates need is a self absorbed, has been, prima donna. Cherrington has done a great job of picking up good experienced pros like Cutch, Santana and Hedges.

Truth be told he was never the same after the dirt bike accident.

I thought it was Bochy’s use of him that wore him out. I haven’t followed Texas this year but am wondering how he is managing that staff

accidents, more than 2 I believe.

Bumgarner is another pitcher that can’t pitch in Arizona’s home park. The only place worst is Colorado. Both places suck bad

He was in St. Louis when the Cardinals pantsed him and gave him the ol’ pink-hiney.

SmackSmackSmackSmackSmack!

It’s almost as if pitching wins don’t matter. They don’t.

@iverbure sarcasm much? Pitching wins don’t matter when statistically evaluating pitching performance. When reflecting on a pitchers career, thinking about sheer domination in 3 World Series and playing on great teams for a good stretch, kind of a normal fan reaction to wonder why he was only involved in 134 wins. Just people sharing thoughts about what was imagined might have been.

I could really see the New York Mets signing him

He’ll be fine. After all, he is a lefty. But if he doesn’t find a team, he can sit with Keuchel on a park bench feeding the pigeons. He should bring his ring(s) with to remind himself what he used to be.

As Chuck Noll famously said about Terry Bradshaw near the end of his career, it may be time for Bumgarner to get on with his life’s work.

The Mets might actually be that desperate for pitching now that most of their starting rotation is out with injuries or suspended. But Bumgarner is likely toast.

He would make their staff younger

Snakes taking this season seriously

Damn good thing. Like to see some moxie. Seeing if Cubbies make moves to stay in race this season. I want a bloody NL Central even if divisions getting watered down.. Reminds me hit some Iowa Cub games to see Mervis very soon.

For 5 years he was the most dominant P in baseball. But those days are over sadly. Somebody will take a chance on him just like the Cubs did with Hosmer. Az will just be paying him to play for somebody else. Should be interesting but he’s pretty much toast now.

I heard he is livid. And worse, his wife cancelled all his credit cards and kicked him out. He’s living on the streets. He is literally a Mad Bum now. (Disclaimer: THE ABOVE STORY MAY OR MAY NOT BE TRUE)

I mean I’m not surprised. Between the performance and continuous drama/crybaby acting on the mound it was time

Somebody should sign him for the playoffs…just the playoffs

but only in an Even year

this dude has been mentally and physically cooked for awhile now. maybe a change of scenery with some new pitching coaches will get him to at least be a serviceable back-end starter, but I am highly doubtful

Change of scenery lol he’s like 40 dude it’s over just retire and grab that great pension he will have for life

Ham- he’s still 33 at this point.

He’s only 33.

If he can find another mph on his average fastball he’d probably still be a good back of the rotation guy. The velocity falling off a cliff has made him nibble and walk more guys (and strike out less batters). If he can somehow get just a little of the velocity back he’d be a useful pitcher for a contender.

Now the question is, can he? I think he’ll chill for awhile and rest his arm and then see what he has.

That’s not the issue with the heater. It’s like the worst fastball in baseball movement wise

He’s lost velocity on everything. My point is if he just gains a little back he can probably add some value to most teams.

He should ditch the fastball and learn to pitch all over again by using a variety of breaking balls. Lots of pitchers have had to modify their arsenal of pitches due to loss of variety. He should watch film of Greinke. Greinke is a smart pitcher who adapted his pitches. He’s still playing at age 40.

33? I swear he’s been in the league for 15 yrs

Ham Fighter, he made his debut at age 19, so you’re still right despite not knowing his age. He’s been in the majors for 15 years just like you said!!

In fact, this is his 15th season. He started young.

KC needs depth and experience — really any help they can get at this point. Teaming up with Greinke might not be such a bad idea…

Yeah, but he was pitching in the big leagues at 20

Too much, too soon? Perhaps.

Before joining the D’ backs, MadBum looked like a lock for the Hall of Fame. But these three ineffective years have changed the narrative, as his career record craters to just barely above .500.

Now, like Carlos Baerga, he appears to be someone who played his way out of the Hall.

Carlos Baerga was never within 100 miles of making the HoF.

Baerga in his first 4 seasons was amazing, on a up and coming Cleveland team. He was arguably the best 2b in the league besides Alomar at the time.

If he had kept up that pace he could have been in the convo, I will agree that many better references could have been used other then Baerga, but he was pretty special at one point.

I think the better question is which team will put up with his antics to try to find out if he can find more help

@down with OBP

That’s what I’m thinking too. I don’t see many “already contending” clubs taking a chance on him. Too much risk on clubhouse vibes for too low an upside.

Let’s say he gets halfway back to the pitcher he was at his best (which is far from guaranteed), you’re really only looking at a 4th or 5th starter.

My guess would be if anything he ends up on a lower-tier team who can afford to give him plenty of space to try and build up some trade value.

I think people overvalue Mad Bum a bit looking back at his Giants years. He was really good, and consistently good, but was rarely “dominant” in the way a deGrom or Verlander is. Some of his value was also bolstered by him being a decent hitter which he can’t rely on now with the DH changes.

I’d put Mad Bum more in that “very good” tier like an Adam Jones…a 5-7 year run of consistent 4.0+ WAR seasons and yearly threat to make the all stars but never a truly standout “best in the league” year.

His post season pitching performances were as good as anyone in history. If anything, I think Bumgarner’s excellence in San Francisco is overlooked.

@stephaniebpetagno

Bum’s overall playoff numbers are great but certainly a mixed bag. He’s got some rough NLDS and NLCS numbers. To his credit though, he was nails when it mattered most (2 wild card starts, both complete game shutouts and his WS numbers are incredible).

33 “dude”… Younger than Scherzer and Verlander.

Baerga had two grand slams in me inning…one batting left handed, one right. Amazing feat.

He would probably have a chance to be a ledt in the pen somewhere but his ego wo t ket him do that

EDIT: A lefty in the pen but his ego won’t allow him to do it

I’m surprised the D-Backs actually had the balls to do this haha. For the life of me, I never understand why teams would rather keep a declining asset on their team rather than just admit they made a mistake, take the sunk cost and move on.

Rich dudes who are used to being praised have a hard time admitting they made a mistake.

As long as the player still provides some value, it’s still better to have a mostly sunk asset than a completely dead asset.

In other cases, teams are hopeful the player can recover some of his previous value to where he does provide at least some value (or can be traded for something even if they have to eat the entire contract to facilitate such a trade) as mentioned above, especially in cases where injuries are the major problem. Some teams may still hold onto a player longer than many fans think they should, but that’s a difference of opinion.

Opinions differ? Who knew?

Good grief.

FWIW, Marcell Ozuna has $36M remaining (compared to MadBum’s $34M) and yet since 2021, MadBum has been worth a -0.2 bWAR, while Ozuna has been worth -1.7 bWAR (and remember Ozuna missed substantial time due to injury/domestic dispute).

If Ozuna doesn’t understand already that his seat on the bench is getting hot, hopefully he’s paying attention.

Had to be done, he doesn’t seem to have much / anything left.

The good news is he will have plenty of time to reunite with his alter ego, Mason Saunders. Maybe now he can win a rodeo without falling off the horse!

He’s coming back to SF

of you can get him for the minimum maybe you try to convert him to a pen arm and if it fails – let him go

For Jonathan Bermudez with the Diamondbacks paying something like $18m/yr of his contract for the remainder of the contract?

Why would they trade for him when they could just sign him for the league minimum once he goes unclaimed? Duh

Because if they do it that way they are banking on no one trading for him with the Diamondbacks paying the majority of his salary and them not even having the chance to sign him.

good God, no. Why not bring back Lincecum too?

I mean the freak is only 38

He means Tim Lincecum AKA The Freak is 38.

AKA Big Time Timmy Jim

Matt Cain is on line 4. He wants part of this reunion tour

It seems to be working for Ruf.

I was thinking Texas, not sure he fits in in SF under Kapler

I recall manny Ramirez making a come back there.

Guess the Braves were right for not going after him

Let him retire at the end of the season as a Giant.

Pittsburgh then traded to mets. mets to place bumgarner on IL.

lord forbid

predictably bad contract was bad

These front offices will never learn

Amen to that,bro! GMs are insane paying pitchers these huge multi year contracts at mega $$$. Very few MLB pitchers have made it through unscathed by arm/injury issues.

SS from Washington has entered the chat.

Agreed was sad to see him go as a giant fan. But that contact was an easy way to let him go especially with the trajectory of the giants. But it’s not like the d backs had a huge competitive team in his duration either.

Wellbye.tombstone.gif

About time. I’m in an NL only dynasty league that has 40 rounds of drafting and Bumgarner did not even get consideration for drafting. That tells you just how bad he is. Patrick Corbin should be next.

The fact that Patrick Corbin is still on a big league team is so baffling.

Corbin at least could have some use as a reliever where you can limit his exposure to righties, since he’s actually okay against lefties. Bumgarner, on the other hand, is basically done period.

The Nats dont have playoff aspirations or good pitching prospects remotely close to MLB……

WSH can use the innings TBH.

Maybe they could use his bat, but as a pitcher, he is done. He would likely charge the mound every time he receives anything pitched inside.

Corbin started sucking the second they started cracking down on Foreign Substances in 2021, and has been bad ever since.

Would like to see him have some Sergio romo retirement moments and with the way this season is going he should have a farewell tour. Most amazing baseball game I’ve ever attended was World Series game 5 in 2012 when he through a complete game shutout in front of me and my dad!

World Series in 2012 only went 4 games. I’m assuming you mean 2014.

Yea my bad you are correct. He also threw not through, missed edit in time. All my bad was at work and posting when it got busy haha.

That’s fair, he did dominate the Tigers at home in Game 2 of the 2012 series, but I think his Game 5 performance against the Royals in 2014 was a masterpiece.

Father Time is undefeated.

Bum garner is still only 33. He just flamed out early

He’s 33 not 43!! Baum needs to RE-invent himself. I see a bullpen in his future. In his prime he was untouchable!!

His stuff likely won’t translate well to the bullpen.

Surprised this guy lasted as long as he did with the constant drama and hurt feelings!

Constant drama or hurt feelings have nothing to do with how long someone lasts in the league.

Finally! He was an expensive BP machine for the DBacks

Them signing him was so strange to begin with. Didn’t see the fit. They certainly were not ready to compete at the time. Waste of money

But I heard all you have to do to win is spend money? They did, the Rockies did, and they’re no better off. I think most teams are best off just locking up their own guys for long term deals and giving out 1-2 year deals to free agents just to avoid these disasters.

See: Tampa Bay Rays.

Imagine sucking so bad at your job your bosses pay you 34 million dollars to not be at the company anymore.

The American dream!

Imagine being so good at your job at one point that you put yourself in the position to make $34MM to not be at that job anymore.

Was coming here to say the same thing until I saw you already posted it, Cob. You’re exactly right.

Get ready to learn Chinese buddy

He has enough money to hire an interpreter!

When they see his ERA they’ll call him Sum Ting Wong.

Great one!!!!

Do you mean Japanese? I didn’t know there was a baseball league in China.

Korea is always a good option. 33 years old with 2200 plus innings on his arm makes him Yung No Mo.

The Chinese Professional Baseball League League in Taiwan signs lots of MLB washouts.

“Bloom on line one, Bloom on line one”

Bold move Cotton!

$14M left for 2024 and prorated portion of his 2023 salary ($23M) left to be paid. Don’t see too many teams willing to release a player with $30M+ left on their contract. But good for the D-Backs. He is clearly not performing and they are not willing to give up this season just to avoid eating that salary.

I too am proud of and surprised by the organization’s willingness to eat this sunk cost contract. But thrilled by the statement it sends that the Dbacks are all in on competing for the post season this year!

BTW, the Dbacks also owe MadBum $10M in deferred payments from 2021 and 2022.

It’s sunk cost already. The money is spent. The roster spot becomes more valuable. The Yankees made A-Rod a special assistant to the GM for his final year, or something like that? The D-backs don’t want him around the team anymore. That says something.

Yankees, Mets, or Braves?

He’d slot in as the ace for the cardinals lmao

Mo loves his low hanging fruit

Would not be surprised to see the Mets take a flyer. Peterson is still learning and Carrasco has been awful (and now has a bone spur in his elbow). Verlander hasn’t pitched yet and Scherzer will undoubtedly hit the IL at some point. They don’t have really any good pitchers ready in the upper levels of the minors, either.

He’s too young to pitch for the Mets

Ouch! Low blow, bro,but LMAO!

Megill is 27, Peterson is 27, and Senga is 30. 3/5 of the rotation is younger than MadBum (33). But solid and totally not hack joke, bro.

I hope it’s NOT the Braves. I already have to watch Ozuna play terribly. I don’t want to see two players stink it up every fifth day.

Whatcha talking about? They keep trucking Ozuna out there each night almost. He is a disaster on and off the field.

Ozuna’s day are numbered. Cant fit Harris and TDA back without squeezing someone out. White gets optioned and some positional player needs to go.

Bum would only start every fifth day, though. So two stinkers every fifth day, one the other four. Lol.

Toledo Mud Hens

Atlanta if he’s willing to give the pen a shot. Wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see him turn out as the LH Jesse Chavez

I feel bad for MadBum as a person and as an aging veteran pitcher who didn’t retire when he should have.

The organization definitely didn’t want this to happen on a number of levels. Ideally, MadBum would have pitched well enough in the first half of the year to make him a viable trade deadline candidate. And ideally, Pfaadt would have gotten at least 1/2 season of AAA starts. And ideally, the Dbacks would not have to go with a starting rotation of 3 rookies this early in the season.

But the combination of a great start for the team and the utterly disastrous start of the season by MadBum necessitated this move. It’s obvious that absolutely any replacement starter will be an improvement over MadBum.

So good luck to MadBum the person, we wish you well. But thanks for nothing in return for your $85M contract.

Why would you retire when someone was stupid enough to pay you 85 million.

Also why would you retire before 30 with offers out there to make millions more?

Because you have enough? Because you look at what you have made, decide it is enough and that it is time to pursue other aspects of your life?

Because you have pride in what you do and decide to stop when you can’t keep doing it at the level of quality it should be done at?

Not everyone is motivated by more money, some people have different values. And yes, I know people who retired/quit for the reasons above.

Back to SF?

There is a higher power! And they don’t hate us! All kidding aside, the only way he brings value to the DBacks in that contract is if he’s pitching against AZ lol (I highly doubt anybody picks him up)

I am hoping that Marcel Ozuna is the next former star with a big contract is the next to be DFAed

Came here to say the same thing. Braves take note — this is how it’s done. Rip the band-aid off and bounce Ozuna!

My guess is that the Braves will wait until Michael Harris comes off the disabled list. before they DFA Ozuna

You may well be correct, however then the Braves become a very LH dominant or oriented line up, so I believe they’re going to persist with Ozuna, although you know he won’t play regularly unless his bat heats up. If Vaughn can remain consistent it’s good for the club, but the fact is Rosario was good against LH pitching before he had all his eye problems and the like, and the fact that he’s not getting day-in day-out AB’s has probably hurt him to some extent. It doesn’t matter who the hitter is, but having AB’s inconsistently is not easy for any hitter. Hitting under $2 is not going to cut it for Marcell. I don’t see him being DFA’d, but if he is sent to another team, I believe he’ll start to hit if he plays every day. People booing him as Braves fans is classless, leave the classless booing of own players to Mets fans.

I suppose if TDA recovers sufficiently from his concussion he will DH, but he’ll also need rest every now and then. It will be interesting to see what AA and Snit do. I have the greatest respect for Snit because despite the hatred of Ozuna by some or most Braves fans, Snit has stuck solid & supported his player, which is what you’re supposed to do.

EM41, I’m sure the Harris reinstatement, and the Braves likely thinking of getting him his ten years of service, then kicking him out.

Yes, the Braves will be left handed dominant without Ozuna, But surely they can find someone who will hit better than the 1 for 15 record Ozuna has against lefties this year.

I don’t see how Ozuna can climb out of his rut for the fact that he’s going to be playing inconsistently, he needs AB’s if there’s the faintest flicker of light, and he’s just not going to get those AB’s, so I don’t know what the Braves do here. Will Hilliard hit consistently? I don’t believe so. Rosario has gone from an everyday player that can also hit lefties to a platoon role and it has hurt his form because he’s not getting AB’s consistently. What happens with Grissom when Arcia is ready. Losing Arcia out of the lineup with his hot start was a real blow. Pillar has barrelled some balls but is having not much luck. The bottom of the lineup is too weak at present, and Olson is not consistent at present.

I find it hard to believe he’s only 33. He has been totally ineffective this year. Sadly, the bottom line is he will still be paid. Tis the nature of the guaranteed contract system. Buyer beware.

The triumvirate of Cain, Lincecum and Bumgarner all flamed out early. But for those few years, the Giants starters were absolutely unreal. Bumgarner’s five inning save was as dramatic as baseball gets. One hell of a pitcher when he was at the top of his game.

The D’Backs deserve a ton of credit for cutting him because he sucks and not keeping him because of the contract.

Note to Bumgarner: People will put up with you being a jerk when you’re good, but it doesn’t play so well when you suck.

Maybe Prior can work some magic?

He’s born and raised in North Carolina so I see him signing with the Braves.

I wonder if this goes beyond poor performance and the D-Backs view Bumgarner as a bad clubhouse presence around their young roster

He turned into a little Beeyatch the past few years. Can’t say i’d blame them anyway. The one time I actually cheered for Max Muncy was when he put one in the drink at Oracle and mouthed off to Bumgarner.

Reminds me of this Troll on the Braves page. Who kept saying the Braves should sign Bumgarner and they’d win a works series.

@cosmokramertheassman

Do the Braves have any future mid-day games at their home field? Might be worth playing him on those days as he’ll probably threw a few more No-Hitters. 😀

Cosmo- that guy was here on this site. He keeps changing his username. However if I’m AA I might be calling AZ to see if swapping MadBum for Ozuna is a possibility. Monies are close and maybe a change of team helps both guys. If Bum were to try the Mark Beurhle approach he might at least be passable as a #5. BTW I mean the slow, slower and then slowest FB approach along with two different speeds of changeups.

Its almost the exact amount the braves owe Ozuna. Not a horrible thought but MadBum seems like a bigger clubhouse diva though.

That might be because of the clubhouse, the personnel, ownership, manager/coaches. Not every clubhouse is the best environment for every player after time. But both guys are now on very thin ice and now might be the right time for each player to start over.

There’s no way he could get a spot in Atlanta’s top 5. He’d be in competition with prospects Shuster and Dodd to be the 8th or 9th option now that Soroka is nearing return and Elder claimed the 5 spot.

My only concern with the guys you just mentioned is the innings limit they ALL will be on. I don’t see a single one of those guys going beyond 130-140 innings. As we’ve seen this yr, depth is going to be of major importance and maybe he could fill the Josh Tomlin kind of role. At the very least I’d rather see him up there as the DH over Ozuna right now. We all know Bum loves to hit.

Elder, Dodd and Shuster all threw 140-150 innings in the minors last season so they won’t be on any pitch counts. Soroka’s likely to be the only one with any limitations.

Tampa needs to sign him. He’d be cheap so it wouldn’t impact their budget and they know how to get the most out of pitchers.

Rockies usually pick up these former NL West rivals. No contender is going to be signing MadBum, but he could replace Jose Urena or Austin Gomber in the Rox rotation right now.

You’re right, but he would get absolutely TORCHED at Coors.

He has pitched there his entire career with a 4.97 ERA. It’s not like it would be a shock to him.

you’re taking into account his career when he was effective. Pitching like he is now, he’d be a gas can.

True, but as I said even a gas can would be an improvement over Urena and Gomber.

Maybe the Yankees can sign him. We need pitching, with all the injuries.

He’d make Heaney look like Greg Maddux at this point tbh

I’m missing something? Can he not just take the assignment and work out some kinks in AAA?

He has too much service time to be sent to the Minors without his consent; he obviously didn’t consent (and there is way more than just “some kinks” wrong)

This is actually a good question. Two thoughts:

I’ve heard speculation that he was a clubhouse cancer.

And I thought yesterday’s blowout loss to the Cardinals was so devastating that it killed all of the momentum from the team’s great start. We (as fans) were depressed thinking that the organization might not make this move and instead keep sending MadBum out there every 5th day for automatic losses. Today’s move by the organization sends a clear and convincing message to Dback players and fans that the organization is all in on winning this year. That message has lifted the cloud of uncertainty and restored fan confidence in this young team.

Lets be clear, the Snakes are not “all in on winning THIS YEAR” nor should they be. This is not a NL Championship caliber team this season. They are going to be hanging around near the top of the division at the trade deadline and there will be loud voices clamoring for the Dbacks to trade for some of the top arms. The demand will be Jordan Lawlar or Druw Jones, Those guys are Untouchable.

SupremeZeus

Nothing you just wrote makes sense. You are dwelling on the past. The Dodgers and Padres have already shown that they are flawed teams this year with weaknesses that render them vulnerable rather than the invincible teams of past years. The Dbacks will get stronger as the season progresses and their young players begin to establish themselves. They are already stronger today than they were yesterday now that Bumgarner is out of the starting rotation.

As for trading, the names aren’t Lawler and Jones, the names are expiring contract Nick Ahmed with Perdomo taking over this year and Blaze Alexander and Jordan Lawler moving up in the next two years. The names are expiring contract Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. Both at this year’s trading deadline.

The only thing you wrote that made sense was that Lawler and Jones are untouchable!

If they are hanging at the top of the NLW at the trade deadline, they’re better positioned than most. They have expiring contracts (or mutual options; same difference) for: Ahmed, Davies, Gurriel Jr., Longoria, and Melancon and a couple 40-man decision to make in preparation for the R5 draft.

Blaze Alexander is functionally a greater than 1:1 replacement for Ahmed (his AAA numbers are silly); Pfaadt is a greater than 1:1 replacement for Davies; Castillo/Kennedy (or Pavin Smith at this point) is a roughly 1:1 (or greater) replacement for Gurriel Jr.; Rivera is a roughly 1:1 replacement for Longoria; ANY of the AAA RPs is a greater than 1:1 replacement for Melancon (lol; tear)

A large majority of the roster is solidified (including the depth), so really the only additions they could accommodate are a SP or RP; either one needing to be league-average (or greater) production-wise to justify acquiring; they certainly have the trade capital necessary to accomplish that.

They grabbed an early lead, they just need to hold onto it for as long as possible now; you can’t win the Division in April, but you can lose it.

LETS GO BRANDON PFAADT

I guess he can go get baseballs out of the ocean.

Seems like Max Muncy’s home run was the shark-jumping moment for MadBum (and how I discovered Jomboy on YouTube).

I hope he takes the money and goes home. I don’t want to see him hang around until no one will even give him a minor league deal. This is the fifth year he’s been well below average.

Clear waivers Go back to SF Help young pitchers as a player/coach

Wouldnt hurt to try him as a reliever and not a starter. Switching to reliever has saved a few guys late in their careers.

Bumgarner equals NLCS!

Anyone that can MAYBE give them 5-6 innings and keep it under 6 runs the Mets will probably take a shot at..50/50 chance he can do that, but they are already running out of arms. After they aren’t on the hook for his contract of course.

Hazen doing what needed to be done, however anybody following the snakes knows this should have been done in last September. I expect that old MadBum will tell any interested team I am a starter and will not pitch out of the pen. I am hoping we get to see the battery of Bumgarner/ Contreras at least one time. MadBum definitely fits the old school gritty cardinal way 🙂 MadBum definitely on the 2022 Keuchel multiple DFA plan.

Is he overly competitive or a jerk? Either way I’ve always enjoyed watching him pitch. Hopefully he can latch on somewhere and get a little bit back, or retire with some dignity, not be forced out…

I wish he’d come all the way to the plate yesterday and gotten tuned up by Contreras. Instead he wisely stayed on the mound. And got tuned up by everybody else.

Calling Chaim Bloom…

He would absolutely get shelled in Fenway.

Can’t do any worse than Kluber.

Have you seen his numbers? He’s plenty worse. Can’t throw a fastball, can’t get strikeouts.

Kluber while he has been bad his 8.50 ERA and 1.50 Whip is due to walks followed by the long ball.

Madbum on the other hand has been flat out terrible in all stats. Evident by his 10.260 ERA and 2.40 WHIP and 15 walks in 16.3 IP. No thanks

From the moment that deal got signed it felt like back pay for his time in SF. It felt like the league saying *someone* had to pony up for Bumgarner’s previous efforts while getting underpaid at the time and Arizona stepped up. It always felt way too long and yet way too low of an AAV with an odd salary structure. Always felt “off”. This is not surprising.

Amazon has given Phoebe Waller-Bridges two 3 year/$60M deals back to back to produce literally nothing, because Fleabag was a huge hit for them and she got paid very little for it. So it’d be like a baseball player producing 40 WAR over his team controlled years on a very early extension that paid him close to league minimums the whole time and then being given 6 years/$120M and then remaining injured and never playing for the next 6 years- just a weird form of back pay.

This kinda feels like that. This was Bumgarner’s back pay for his early career.

And Netflix gave #44 a $60mm “production deal” as a thank you for net neutrality.

Okay conspiracy theorist.

Im glad he decided to go to arizona to be closer to his horses instead of signing with the twins….

3 years later the Minnesota rotation is full of horses, and mad BUM is living up to his name……

what a life. $34M to get told to go away. I get told that for free everyday.

Guy has my utmost respect – carried SF to a WS win and unfortunately is paying the price for that effort now.

It’s a sunk cost and it had to be done. The Snakes are too good to put up with a guy underperforming like this. If this was the A’s, for example, sure. But any team close to .500 or better just can’t use MadBum. How the once mighty have fallen.

Hall of Fame

Baines Wing

They’re opposites. Baines belongs in the hall of longevity, Mad Bum belongs in the hall of brief peaks and October magic.

Yeah,the Mets can sign him ,package him with 3 minor leaguers and trade them to SF for Darrin Ruf!

He becomes a 1B/DH and focuses on hitting. Lol

texas rangers have entered the chat

Imagine that. A pitcher who throws 88 with no movement got hit hard. But he’s a experienced veteran who knows how to pitch, not just throw…terrible terrible pickup.

Bum was awesome in the bay – was never the same after the rodeo ….er dirt bike accident

The Giants should enshrine him just for 2014

Turn him into a full time hitter!!! 🙂

I think he still has something left in the tank. He likely will clear waivers and be allowed to sign anywhere for the league minimum.

Would be interesting to see what would happen if he was converted to a reliever. Sometimes with less length the velocity can get back up. He has proven big game experience as well. Would be interesting if he could do what John Schmolz did in the back half of his career as a high leverage reliever or even closer.

Bum was the Best, when he was Bum. This guy is non recognizable.

As a Giants fan the 3 Rings were amazing. Maybe 4 if we would have gotten the Closer when we needed it in ’16. But who knows.

A lot of innings in a short amount of time. Plus the body changes over time. Plus the injury to the shoulder, he tried to cover up. Plus his general malaise.

I wish him luck. Having him sign with the G’s just for old times sake, and a bullpen arm – if they can turn him around slightly, would be cool. But not the end of the world if they don’t. We want the Old Bum. And that guy is long gone.

So sad yet understandable. One of my all-time favorite players. His post season pedigree is phenomenal.

Javy Baez for Madison Bumharner.

I am not surprised at all and I don’t think anyone who watched last night is surprised either. He was laboring to get 88 cutters over the plate. It was like softball

It’s about Pfaadt time!

Watch the Rays sign him, and he’ll win the Cy Young and MVP.

Is Mad Bum toast or can he be fixed?

@Lefty_Orioles_Fan if it were up to me, I’d be getting out the butter knife and not the socket set.

Ah ha a butter knife, lol

His mechanics are awful and always have been. I always thought he would breakdown at some point due to the total lack of efficiency in his delivery. He’s never been a high command guy and his stuff was always dependent on velocity. Once the velo goes, its very unlikely the player can maintain effectiveness. Greinke is the perfect example of a guy who adapted to age with excellent mechanics.

wow, that’s kinda crazy…queue my Mets though…

He’s probably going to be the Reds new 4th starter.

If I’m the Pirates I sign him for league minimum and put him in the bullpen since they only have one lefty currently. It’s really all about velocity with him and maybe some rest or pitching out of the pen could add some velocity back.

He needs to spend some time with Rich Hill to learn how to rescue his career.

Not sure how to feel about that. He could be ok but he strikes me as the kind of guy who’d rather sit at home than go somewhere else and be a bullpen guy. In his own mind, he still probably thinks he’s great. A lot of players are like that.

How the mighty have fallen. This dude used to be on another level, now he’s a shell of his former self. He really does need to go some anger management facility all he does is bark at the dumbest things.

Red Sox should grab him and release Kluber Maybe worth a shot. They need some kind of pitching.

You do not want to see MadBum pitching in front of the Green Monstah. I wonder if that wall can crack?

Bob Nutting is probably on the phone right now With Mad Bum and getting it done!

This contract makes the Heyward deal look brilliant by comparison.

No, it doesn’t.

His career took a huge hit after the dirt bike accident. Giants fans will always love Bum but the rodeo and dirt bikes and all that crazy stuff he’d do away from baseball was going to burn him sometime. I guess at least he cashed out against a division rival? Maybe it was a Sabean long con and he set the whole thing up.

Gotta hand it to bum he turned it into almost 90 million.

Mozeliak is on line 3.

No. Hard no. Madbum has nothing left. Cards need to stay away.

The D-Backs cut a d-bag.

Geez, maybe try to remain classy?

The truth is always classy.

You always aren’t. You’re warts on a frog’s ass.

Not surprising after watching his starts this year, yesterday his fastball was between 88 and 91 mph. His location is really off, he was a FA gamble after the Giants let him go. The D’Backs are up and coming and Bumgarner was holding them back on his starts. Can’t expect this team to go down 3 and 4 runs early and expect to fight back every time he pitches.

Oakland could take him. Could t get any worse for them

Please Atlanta do it with Ozuna. You like Arizona made a mistake, cut your losses, you are in a pennant race.

The Rangers will sign him. Bochy and Maddox will fix him.

You think rangers have Oscar Goldman to do this:

We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better, stronger, faster.

Said the same thing without seeing ur comment. Totally agree.

Mason Saunders is still available for Rodeo’s

Goes to show when one piles on many 200+IP the durability for long-term narrows. Bum was good for awhile but you got to know when to fold ’em. If he wants to be an RP aka eckersley route – he might find some game there.

Dbacks tell MadBum to get off their lawn.

I really wondered if Arizona would try to move him in a bad-contract swap or with a prospect during the offseason. That obviously didn’t happen, but I’m glad they’re cutting bait, rather than stubbornly trying to get their money’s worth, which wasn’t going to happen.

Arizona is going to be a fun team to watch. Lot of talented, young players taking their place and just enough veterans to give them direction.

Bumgarner will have earned at least $143M over the course of his career when everything is said and done. Time to find out that life has a lot more to offer than only baseball.

He already does Rodeo’s as Mason Saunders

Mason Saunders, rodeo clown. Sounds good.

He will be a Detroit tiger soon

Adios Mad Bum! Get it out of the water!

he’s going to giants for sure i hope everything workout for him one of best giants picher back then

yankees no never giants or rangers

I think he’s mentally unhinged. His getting mad at players for reasons that have nothing to do with him, is starting to get strange.

Starting to get stranger? Continuing to get stranger?

Heh heh heh heh…

I wonder if Bruce Bochy in Texas thinks he could resurrect MadBum.

His old manager Bochy is gonna sign him in Texas and fix him and he will be pitching better here in a few months..won’t be the guy he used to be but better than he has been.

He will probably be in New York Yankee

Bumgarner’s pitch velocities have converged by a couple miles per hour in addition to the velocity drop in general. He’s probably cooked, but he’s still fairly young at 33. He could put his all into conditioning and understanding where his velocity drop came from in order to bring some back and become effective again.

It’s surprising to see a team outright cut bait rather than force Bumgarner into the bullpen and get some sort of value out of him, but it wouldn’t surprise me if any such conversation about that was/would have been met with fierce resistance from Bumgarner.

I like the move for the Diamondbacks and for the league in general. Many players who’ve declined seem to wait until their contract year to push to improve, expecting teams won’t eat the sunk cost for nothing. The tides may be turning, though.

give up pitching and become a full time DH.

As a Nats fan I would say “Come to Papa!” Except both Kuhl and Corbin are doing significantly better than Bumgarner. Whew.

His rodeo background is even more evident these days as he seems content to last on the mound past the eight second mark.

So Misiewicz is the immediate “replacement” on the Dbacks roster for Bumgarner. Misiewicz has the better reliever numbers on the AAA staff.

The real replacement will be the starter on Monday who replaces MadBum. At AAA, the starter with the best ERA is Blake Walston (4.15 ERA) who just pitched 6 shutout innings in his last start. Second best ERA is Brandon Pfaadt at 5.40. Third best is Tommy Henry at 6.33 ERA. These numbers don’t look great, but they are at Reno and the other extremely hitter friendly Pacific Coast League ballparks.

Walston only has 4 AAA starts, so he’s probably not ready. Dbacks seem to be holding Pfaadt back for ROY campaign in 2024, although what they say is they don’t think he has enough AAA starts yet either. Henry seems to be most people’s guess for that start on Monday. It’s on his scheduled day to pitch. Henry already has 35 AAA starts and 7 MLB starts, so he’s the logical candidate.

Pretty much has to be Henry; carrying 4 LHRP on the Active Roster in the meantime is an interesting move, since the Padres have: Grisham, Soto, Carpenter, Cronenworth, and Odor as LHB.

Who knows how it’ll be handled when Davies is back, but I highly doubt that he’s the one relegated to LR; it certainly wouldn’t hurt the Bullpen if Jameson is the one pushed back into that role, but I wouldn’t complain if Jameson keeps his rotation spot and Henry goes back to AAA.

Until Davies is back, Pfaadt looks like next in line on the depth chart if a SP goes down.

Check how many innings Walston has for his entire Milb career. It’s crazy how little he’s pitched for how long he’s been around. Guy has never been healthy so it’s not just that he lacks AAA experience, he lacks pitching experience period and has had zero opportunity to build arm strength in his career thus far. Nice to see him do well though. He was a guy who used to make the scouts drool so he could turn into a real nice buy low.

It’s almost like he’s missing a whole season’s worth of reps…

Can’t believe it took that long.

Would like to see him in the pirates AAA for a couple weeks to see whats up. Probably not worth the effort.

Dodgers need a 5th starter, let him play with his pal Muncy!

Well, there’s always the rodeo circuit. He can use his real name now.

Two years younger than Kershaw.

The Dbacks have an outstanding Pitching Coach in Brent Strom. If he can’t fix MadBum, I don’t believe anyone can.

For those thinking MadBum can be resurrected elsewhere, I’m guessing you haven’t seen him pitch recently. Dating back to last years trade deadline, MadBum has been among the worst SPs in MLB. He needs 100 pitches to get thru 4+ innings with non-stop traffic on the bases and a ton of hard contact.

I’m in AZ. The hits against Bumgarner sound like firecrackers on my car radio. Gunshots sometimes.

The Giants brought back a broken Panda and he became a productive player making the minimum.

No player that I can think of gets the love from a former team as MadBum gets from Giants fans. He might want to see if that spurs him on (bad pun). But he might also want to leave his legacy in SF intact. After all Bum was solid in 2021 and only slightly below average last year.

If Farhan can trade Disco or Cobb for a good return, maybe guys like Junis, Beck, Hjelle or the Bum might be able to slide into the rotation.

All of this said I think MadBum is headed to Texas.

Bum wasn’t slightly below average last year. He was two steps above batting practice. He was terrible.

He’d fit perfectly in SF, which is now full of Mad Bums.

This seemed inevitable after yesterday. Honestly maybe even a few starts too late.

Riding dirt bikes is not staying in shape. He’s Mike Scott version 2.0. Too damn lazy to do the work that’s necessary to maintain your output.

It’s happening…. Ozuna for Bum.

Rangers will be adding him.

If he clears waivers, the Red Sox should put a claim in on him. He could help the rotation when a change of scenery.

I’d suggest Madison try PEDs. Bit based on his rage reaction to Contreras merely taking a hack, he’s probably already on them. And they’re not helping.

Change leagues. Come to a weak division. Come to Detroit.

The bumgarnerequalsnlcs guy would love the Braves taking a chance on this guy. I haven’t even noticed his trademark posts in awhile here.

That’s because he keeps changing his username. I think he’s the TradeAcuna guy now, just above.

Come back to SF and rebound like panda did with Boston! He know how to pitch here when he is healthy

Come back to Sf and rebound like Panda did!

Walk away Bum. You ain’t topping what you did. The legend still remains. Go rope cows and stuff.

He’ll have all the time in the world to ride dirt bikes now.

This has horrible Cashman pickup written all over it.

Get this fragile ego clown out of the league. You had a few elite seasons and have been trash for a long time ever since. Need better mechanics and a thicker skin. Baseball is FUN, Madison…remember fun?

Downhill spiral. He’s just an inconsequential warm body at this point. These days, his mouth is about the only thing that stands out – and it’s a tired act by now. Once upon a time, I liked the guy; ‘was a great competitor and he’d back up his mouth/attitude with his arm. No longer the case. *IF* he gets another chance with some other team, maybe it’s time for him to just “shut up and pitch”.

I’m guessing he’ll land with the Mets or Milwaukee.

What about the Cardinals? They could use another starting pitcher or three!

He can be one of those cooking show hosts where the only dish is bacon, the hilarity of him roasting, or perhaps even brutally murdering the contestants for not getting it “just right” would be “must watch”. Especially after some unlucky sole does a tongs flip afterward.

Dude can blow snot rockets in North Carolina.

Should be a statue of MadBum outside of Oracle Park in the future.

Bad contract from the beginning his road home splits should have been the key

Remember Kids. Don’t ride dirt bikes badly when you’re on contract and the Ace of a team….You may fall and sprain your pitching shoulder, then descend into a nightmarish career. At the beginning of the season too. Ouch.

I seen an article asking if the Giants should sign MadBum or not. In my opinion if they do who does he replace? Also in my opinion the reason that him and Will Smith signed before QO deadline is because neither one wants to play for Farhan Zaidi or Gabe Kapler is because they knew both are no good at their jobs. Also I know it looks like Kapler knows something because of the 107 win season but I think the players was playing for their selves and pride and nothing to do with their manager

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Diamondbacks designate 4-time All-Star Madison Bumgarner for assignment

PHOENIX — The up-and-coming Arizona Diamondbacks see themselves as potential contenders in the National League West after a good start to the season.

That optimism forced general manager Mike Hazen to make a tough decision.

The D-backs designated four-time All-Star Madison Bumgarner for assignment following his latest shaky start, eating nearly $34.4 million of the salary from his five-year, $85 million deal that was signed in 2020.

“I ask our players and staff to have urgency around how we’re going to play and attack, so I have to do the same thing,” Hazen said. “That was part of the reason we made a decision. The team has played its butts off over the first three weeks of the season, frankly.”

The move takes Bumgarner off the team’s 40-man roster and leaves Arizona seven days to trade the 2014 World Series MVP or else place him on outright waivers. The Diamondbacks announced the move Thursday, a day after Bumgarner allowed seven runs in three innings against the St. Louis Cardinals .

The big left-hander hasn’t lived up to expectations in the desert since signing his long-term deal in 2020. A postseason hero for San Francisco , he has gone 15-32 with a 5.23 ERA in 69 starts and is having his worst season with Arizona.

The 33-year-old has allowed at least five runs in three of his four starts and dropped to 1-3 with a 10.26 ERA after his latest blowup at St. Louis .

“I wish I had some kind of answers,” Bumgarner said after Wednesday’s game. “Not that I’m not going look for them – I’m going to look for them. But right now, I don’t have any for you guys. I wish I did. But I don’t.”

Hazen praised Bumgarner on Thursday, saying the pitcher came to spring training in great shape and did everything he could to improve. There were occasional good moments, but he was never close to the same pitcher he was in San Francisco.

Hazen said he wasn’t sure why Bumgarner’s steep decline couldn’t be stopped.

“We’ve all lost a lot of sleep over it, trying to answer that question,” Hazen said. “I haven’t answered it yet and we’re here today, so I don’t have the answer for you. It just didn’t work out.”

Bumgarner is owed $20.4 million this season and roughly $34.4 million on the remainder of his contract. If he clears waivers, he would be clear to sign with any team for a prorated share of the league minimum of $720,000.

Bumgarner was one of baseball’s best pitchers during 11 seasons with the Giants, helping them win three World Series titles. He was a workhorse for San Francisco during that time, going over 200 innings seven times in addition to 16 postseason appearances, including a memorable five-inning save in Game 7 of the ’14 Series.

The D-backs have several options to take Bumgarner’s spot in the rotation, including prospects Tommy Henry and Brandon Pfaadt. They called up lefty reliever Anthony Misiewicz to bolster the bullpen in the meantime.

Diamondbacks designate 4-time All-Star Madison Bumgarner for assignment originally appeared on NBCSports.com

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Madison Bumgarner DFA: Diamondbacks officially release veteran pitcher after brutal 2023 start

Bumgarner put up a 10.26 era over his first four starts.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have released veteran left-hander Madison Bumgarner , the team announced Wednesday. He had been designated for assignment last week. Bumgarner, 33, surrendering seven runs on seven hits and four walks in three innings against the  St. Louis Cardinals  last Wednesday, his final start with Arizona. He has a 10.26 ERA this year through four starts.

Bumgarner originally joined the Diamondbacks during the 2019-20 offseason, signing a five-year pact worth $85 million. He had previously established himself as an above-average starter with a knack for postseason heroics during his time with the San Francisco Giants . Bumgarner failed to live up to that reputation in the desert. He finishes his Arizona career with an 80 ERA+ through 69 starts. Even his best single-season showing, back in 2021, still saw him check in with a below-average mark for starters with a 90 ERA+.

Although Bumgarner won't pitch again for the Diamondbacks, Arizona is responsible for the balance of his contract -- he had $37 million remaining entering the season, including $14 million next year. Now that he has been released, any team can sign Bumgarner for the prorated portion of the $720,000 league minimum.

"We've never been asked to make decisions based on money or anything like that,"  Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen told the Arizona Republic  last week. "We need to win baseball games. We're trying to win every single baseball game we're going out to play. We want the five guys in the rotation to solidify those spots and give us some stability there. ... We'll continue to assess it as we go, but we need to win baseball games."  

The Diamondbacks have gotten off to a hot start this season. They enter Wednesday a half-game behind the  Los Angeles Dodgers  in the NL West. Clearly they felt their competitive aspirations were being undercut by Bumgarner's presence in their rotation. He had, after all, completed five innings just once in his four attempts.

So far, Arizona has used lefty Tommy Henry in Bumgarner's rotation spot, with top prospect Brandon Pfaadt  still in Triple-A.

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Madison Bumgarner designated for assignment by Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks designated left-hander Madison Bumgarner for assignment, sources said, a move that brings a likely end to Bumgarner’s time with the organization despite still being owed more than $34 million through next season.

Bumgarner had posted a 10.26 ERA in four starts this season. He finished last year on a 10-start skid in which he had a 7.12 ERA.

The five-year, $85 million contract the Diamondbacks gave him will go down as one of the worst in franchise history. He posted a 5.23 ERA in parts of four seasons.

Bumgarner is likely to be placed on waivers soon, if he hasn't been already, and would become a free agent once he clears. He could then sign with another team for a prorated portion of the league minimum ($720,000). He is not likely to be claimed or traded given the amount of money still owed to him by the Diamondbacks.

Sources say left-hander Tommy Henry is expected to start in place of Bumgarner when his turn comes up next on Monday, when the Diamondbacks are set to host the Kansas City Royals. Henry, 25, had a 5.36 ERA in nine starts with the Diamondbacks last season. He has a 6.33 ERA in four starts with Triple-A Reno and gave up just two runs in six innings in his most recent outing.

A legendary pitcher during his time in San Francisco, Bumgarner helped the Giants win three World Series titles, turning in some of the better postseason pitching performances of all time.

When they signed him in December 2019, the Diamondbacks believed they were getting a hard-nosed competitor who could at least eat innings and serve as a positive influence for younger players.

Though his production had begun to decline late in his Giants tenure, the Diamondbacks also thought there were changes to his pitch usage and repertoire that could allow him to improve.

Bumgarner was a major disappointment but he might not go down as the worst signing the Diamondbacks have ever made. That distinction might still belong to Russ Ortiz, who posted a 7.00 ERA in 28 starts after signing a four-year, $33 million deal prior to the 2005 season. The Diamondbacks released him with $22 million still remaining.

Diamondbacks Daily: News, updates for series against San Diego Padres

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Diamondbacks’ Madison Bumgarner designated for assignment after rough start to season: report

Bumgarner has an era of 10.26 on the season.

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Madison Bumgarner’s future with the Arizona Diamondbacks appears to be over after another rough outing on Wednesday. 

The veteran pitcher was designated for assignment on Thursday, according to a report by ESPN. 

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, Bumgarner allowed seven earned runs in just three innings in a 14-5 loss.

The loss dropped Bumgarner to 0-3 on the season as his ERA ballooned to 10.26. 

OAKLAND ATHLETICS ANNOUNCE LAS VEGAS LAND DEAL, MLB COMMISSIONER EXPRESSES ‘SUPPORT’

Following the loss, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo was asked about the organization’s plan for Bumgarner. 

"I don't know," Lovullo said, according to MLB.com. "As we do with every start, we group up as a [coaching] staff and then sit down with the front office and figure out what to do next. The staff will sit down and figure out what's going to give us the best option in five days. We do the same thing after every start, and we'll do that again."

Bumgarner had a brutal third inning on Wednesday, allowing four earned runs, capped by a three-run home run by Cardinals' shortstop Tommy Edman. 

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St. Louis catcher Willson Contreras led off the inning with a walk, flipping his bat after Bumgarner appeared to take issue with his reaction after missing a pitch he clearly wished he had back. 

St. Louis Cardinals' Willson Contreras, center, is held back by home plate umpire Junior Valentin, left, as Contreras talks with Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Jose Herrera, right, during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Cameras appeared to catch the left-handed pitcher mouthing profanities toward the Cardinals catcher. 

"Probably go back and read lips, maybe," Bumgarner said when asked what he said to Contreras.

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Bumgarner was signed to a five-year, $85 million deal before the 2020 season, and had an ERA of 5.23 as a member of the Diamondbacks. 

Madison Bumgarner #40 of the Arizona Diamondbacks delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on April 19, 2023 in St. Louis. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

"The empathetic side of me hurts for him," Lovullo said Wednesday. "I want every pitcher to do well, and I know how hard he’s working. He’s just grinding. And the other side of me is extremely frustrated. I want to see everybody do well and help us win baseball games and, unfortunately, that didn’t happen."

The Diamondbacks will eat more than $34 million of Bumgarner's contract, and the left-handed pitcher will be able to sign with another team for the veteran minimum once he clears waivers. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Joe Morgan is a Sports Reporter for Fox News.

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D-backs' Madison Bumgarner designated for assignment

Tune in to fox 10 phoenix for the latest news:.

PHOENIX - Madison Bumgarner's time with the Arizona Diamondbacks appears to be over.

The 33-year-old left-hander has been designated for assignment by the D-backs, the team announced Thursday. In his place, Arizona recalled left-hander Anthony Misiewicz from AAA.

The move takes Bumgarner off the team’s 40-man roster and leaves Arizona seven days to trade the 2014 World Series MVP or else place him on outright waivers. The Diamondbacks made the move a day after Bumgarner allowed seven runs in three innings against the St. Louis Cardinals .

The four-time All-Star hasn’t lived up to expectations in the desert since signing a five-year, $85 million deal in 2020 . A postseason hero for San Francisco, he has gone 15-32 with a 5.23 ERA in 69 starts and is having his worst season with Arizona.

"I wish I had some kind of answers," Bumgarner said after Wednesday’s game. "Not that I’m not going look for them — I’m going to look for them. But right now, I don’t have any for you guys. I wish I did. But I don’t."

ST LOUIS, MO - APRIL 19: Madison Bumgarner #40 of the Arizona Diamondbacks delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on April 19, 2023 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Bumgarner is owed roughly $34.4 million on the remainder of his contract, including $20.4 million this season. If he clears waivers, he would be clear to sign with any team for a prorated share of the league minimum of $720,000.

Bumgarner had been one of baseball’s best pitchers during 11 seasons with the Giants, helping them win three World Series titles. He was a workhorse for San Francisco during that time, going over 200 innings seven times in addition to 16 postseason appearances, including a memorable five-inning save in Game 7 of the ’14 Series.

The Diamondbacks currently have an 11-8 record and sit atop the National League West. They kickoff a four-game homestand on April 20 with the San Diego Padres.

The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report.

Diamondbacks’ Madison Bumgarner DFA’d, per source: What went wrong in Arizona?

The Arizona Diamondbacks designated veteran left-hander Madison Bumgarner for assignment, a team source confirmed to The Athletic on Thursday. The Arizona Republic was first to report the news. Here’s what you need to know:

• The move comes after Bumgarner allowed seven runs in three innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, inflating his ERA to 10.26 for the season.
• Bumgarner, 33, is in his fourth season with Arizona and recorded a 5.23 ERA with 276 strikeouts in 363 1/3 innings pitched during his tenure with the club.

The Athletic ’s instant analysis:

What went wrong in Arizona?

Signing Bumgarner before the 2020 season carried a fair amount of risk given all the innings on his arm, and it’s certainly gone worse than the Diamondbacks imagined. Except for a few brief stretches of competence, Bumgarner has been nothing but a liability in the rotation. His already below-average velocity has dropped further and his command has suffered.

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Additionally, Diamondbacks personnel have at times been bothered by his lack of work ethic, especially when he showed up to prepare for the shortened 2020 season overweight and not having touched a ball during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. — Buchanan

Why DFA Bumgarner now?

This isn’t the first time, though, that Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen has decided to cut bait on a costly mistake, although this is the first such instance in which it was  his  mistake. Hazen inherited costly Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomás from the Dave Stewart regime, yet was content to stash the guy in Triple A for several years until his contract expired.

Given that Bumgarner had provided negative production while taking up a roster spot, he’s been even more of a sunk cost. — Buchanan

Who replaces him in the rotation?

The most appealing replacement for Bumgarner would be right-handed prospect Brandon Pfaadt, who is highly regarded by scouts. But the Diamondbacks could also turn to another lefty in Tommy Henry, who already has major-league experience and is already on the 40-man roster. Henry hasn’t had as much success in Triple A, however.

Whomever the Diamondbacks tab, the team will have essentially tapped its rotation depth before April is even over. Arizona already has Drey Jameson filling in for the injured Zach Davies . — Buchanan

Bumgarner signed a five-year, $85 million deal with the Diamondbacks ahead of the 2020 season. The club owes him $23 million in 2023 and $14 million in 2024.

The southpaw came to Arizona after spending the first 11 seasons of his major-league career with the San Francisco Giants . During his standout Giants tenure, Bumgarner won three World Series, earned World Series MVP in 2014 and made four All-Star teams.

However, he hasn’t seen the same results with the Diamondbacks.

“I wish I had some kind of answers,” Bumgarner told reporters after Wednesday’s 14-5 loss to the Cardinals. “Not that I’m not gonna look for them — I’m gonna look for them. But right now, I don’t have any for you guys. I wish I did. But I don’t.”

“The empathetic side of me hurts for him,” manager Torey Lovullo said of Bumgarner’s outing. “I want every pitcher to do well and I know how hard he’s working. He’s just grinding.”

Despite Bumgarner’s struggles, Arizona has fared well to start the season and sits atop the National League West with an 11-8 record.

Required reading

• MLB Power Rankings: Mets rise; Padres, Yankees fall and the Rays are Los Reyes
• MLB All-30: One worrisome early-season trend for each team

(Photo: Rhona Wise / USA Today)

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