Friday BP: Madison Bumgarner designated for assignment

Good morning, baseball fans!

I can’t say that it came as much of a shock to me yesterday when the Arizona Diamondbacks announced they were designating Madison Bumgarner for assignment.

The former San Francisco Giants ace (and forever Giants Legend) signed a five-year contract with the Diamondbacks after the 2019 season, when he became a free agent for the first time in his career.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to find a lot of success in the desert. He missed a lot of the 2020 season due to a back injury, making only nine starts. His earned run average over the next two season was in the high fours. So far this season, with four starts and 16.2 innings pitched, he’s got a 10.26 ERA, 8.13 FIP with 15 walks and 10 strikeouts.

Small/early sample size, maybe, but it was enough for the Diamondbacks to cut their losses (roughly $34 million for the remainder of his contract) and move on.

It’s hard to believe that Bumgarner is only 33 years old, even though we’ve watched him pitch for almost his entire adult life. He made his first appearance for the Giants at just 19 years old, in 2009. By the following year, he was part of the rotation and pitching in the World Series.

He was known as a work horse in his later years with the Giants, and it’s hard not to think that the heavy workload at a young age might have taken a toll on him. Over his 11 seasons with the Giants, he pitched 1,846 innings, with 15 complete games, just in the regular season. All before he turned 30.

Some are wondering if the Giants should/will take a chance on him, as it would only cost the league minimum to do so. To me, it seems hard not to think that they might be tempted. They are a fan of getting the band back together, and also in need of something to draw attendance. Nostalgia has regularly been their marketing brand of choice, after all.

(They could also use someone that can hit left-handed pitchers.)

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants play the second of this four-game series against the New York Mets tonight at 7:15 p.m. PT.