Diamondbacks Designate Madison Bumgarner For Task

The Diamondbacks have designated left-hander Madison Bumgarner for project, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The D-backs have formally introduced the transfer. 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, the place he signed a five-year, $85MM contract previous to the 2020 season. The 33-year-old left-hander has been usually sturdy however ineffective for the Snakes, pitching to a lowly 5.23 ERA in 363 1/3 innings and 69 begins below that contract.

Issues have taken a very pronounced downswing in 2023, nevertheless, as Bumgarner has been torched for 20 runs (19 earned) on 25 hits and 15 walks with simply 10 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings. The D-backs have misplaced three of Bumgarner’s 4 begins this season, together with a seven-run three-inning clunker towards the Cardinals yesterday, whereby Bumgarner received right into a verbal altercation with St. Louis catcher Willson Contreras after apparently taking objection to Contreras’ response to a swing and response on a pitch he fouled straight again. The crew’s lone victory of the season with Bumgarner on the mound got here when he was pulled after 4 2/3 innings, three runs and 6 walks.

Bumgarner’s present 89.6 mph fastball common is down greater than three miles per hour from its 92.9 peak. His 11.1% strikeout price and 16.7% stroll price are each career-worsts by large margins, and he’s seen his capacity to induce swinging strikes (simply  6.3%) and chases off the plate (21.1%) evaporate on this season’s 4 begins.

In seasons previous, the Diamondbacks may maybe promote themselves on occasional glimmers of hope and not less than settle for that if nothing else, Bumgarner was a sturdy innings eater who may considerably narrowly preserve his ERA south of 5.00. The Diamondbacks didn’t enter 2021 or 2022 as hopeful contenders anyhow, in spite of everything, and Bumgarner gave them a bridge to a few of their beginning pitching prospects whereas these promising younger arms continued to develop within the higher minors.

That’s now not the case in 2023, as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco outlined earlier this week in a bit for MLBTR Entrance Workplace subscribers, arguing inside that the D-backs wanted to maneuver on as quickly as potential. The D-backs entered the ’23 marketing campaign with an rising, thrilling younger core headlined by outfielder Corbin Carroll, they usually have considered one of MLB’s prime farm techniques to additional bolster that group within the close to future. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are robust rotation arms, and with a gifted assortment of youth complementing them (e.g. Ryne Nelson, Drey Jameson and, prior to later, Brandon Pfaadt), the beginning pitching outlook is shiny.

Arizona is out to an 11-8 begin, and whereas the season remains to be fairly younger, expectations have shifted. Bumgarner merely hasn’t been a aggressive pitcher for them in any capability this season, and his physique of labor in three seasons prior offers little motive to hope for a turnaround. With the division wanting extra weak than it has in years and the D-backs probably on the rise, it’s simply not possible to proceed on with what more and more seems like a sunk value.

Precisely how the rotation shakes out from this level ahead stays to be seen. Piecoro tweets that 25-year-old left-hander Tommy Henry is anticipated to begin in Bumgarner’s place subsequent time round, although one would think about that Pfaadt — one of many sport’s prime pitching prospects — will get a glance within the close to future after opening the season in Triple-A. Veteran Zach Davies can also be an element, although he’s presently out with a strained indirect and figures to be sidelined into subsequent month.

What’s clear is that Bumgarner’s time with the D-backs is nearly over. Given the left-hander’s woeful efficiency not solely in 2023 however all through his D-backs tenure as an entire, there’s no likelihood one other crew will roll the cube on the remaining $34.3MM on his contract. Bumgarner is being paid $23MM in 2023 and remains to be owed a $14MM wage for the 2024 marketing campaign.

The Diamondbacks may technically place him on outright waivers, however he has greater than sufficient service time to reject an outright project whereas retaining his wage, and no crew would declare the contract anyhow. As such, he’ll doubtless be positioned on launch waivers within the coming days and, upon clearing, develop into a free agent who’s eligible to signal with another membership. Any crew that indicators Bumgarner would solely have to pay him the prorated league minimal for any time spent on the MLB roster. That sum could be subtracted from what the D-backs owe the lefty, however Arizona is successfully committing to consuming near $34MM in useless cash by parting methods with Bumgarner at this juncture of his contract.