This isn’t something anybody saw coming when Madison Bumgarner signed a five-year, $85 million deal in 2020. Bumgarner still has $37 million left on that deal, and the Arizona Diamondbacks are going to eat more than $34 million of that after designating him for assignment on Thursday via ESPN.
Bumgarner’s start to 2023 has been even more disastrous than his substandard tenure in Arizona. Bumgarner has a 10.26 ERA in four starts this season, and he is fresh off allowing seven runs in just three innings on Wednesday. Since 2020, Bumgarner has posted a 5.36 ERA in 69 starts with the D-Backs.
Because Bumgarner will not play for Arizona’s Triple-A affiliate, he will hit waivers that he is almost certain to clear, as any team claiming him would have to assuming the remainder of his contract. After clearing waivers, he’ll be eligible to sign for the major league minimum of $720K.
Bumgarner’s fastball has dipped every year with Arizona, and is currently sitting at an average of 89.5 mph. Bumgarner said after his last start that he doesn’t have an answer for what is going on.
Bumgarner is 33 years old, and left San Francisco for Arizona before the 2020 season, in part because he did not appreciate the way the Giants went about negotiating his extension. It’s unclear if the Giants would like to take a flier on him, but they are currently very thin on left-handed starting pitching with Alex Wood hitting the Injured List.