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The Diamondbacks have designated left-hander Madison Bumgarner for task, 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 typically sturdy however ineffective for the Snakes, pitching to a lowly 5.23 ERA in 363 1/3 innings and 69 begins beneath 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 in opposition to the Cardinals yesterday, whereby Bumgarner acquired 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 group’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 vast margins, and he’s seen his means 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 might maybe promote themselves on occasional glimmers of hope and a minimum of settle for that if nothing else, Bumgarner was a sturdy innings eater who might considerably narrowly preserve his ERA south of 5.00. The Diamondbacks didn’t enter 2021 or 2022 as hopeful contenders anyhow, in any case, 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 not the case in 2023, as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco outlined earlier this week in a chunk for MLBTR Front Office subscribers, arguing inside that the D-backs wanted to maneuver on as quickly as attainable. The D-backs entered the ’23 marketing campaign with an rising, thrilling younger core headlined by outfielder Corbin Carroll, they usually have certainly one of MLB’s high farm techniques to additional bolster that group within the close to future. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are sturdy 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 vibrant.
Arizona is out to an 11-8 begin, and whereas the season continues 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 purpose to hope for a turnaround. With the division trying extra susceptible 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 high 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 at the moment 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 just about over. Given the left-hander’s woeful efficiency not solely in 2023 however all through his D-backs tenure as a complete, there’s no probability one other group will roll the cube on the remaining $34.3MM on his contract. Bumgarner is being paid $23MM in 2023 and continues to be owed a $14MM wage for the 2024 marketing campaign.
The Diamondbacks might technically place him on outright waivers, however he has greater than sufficient service time to reject an outright task whereas retaining his wage, and no group would declare the contract anyhow. As such, he’ll seemingly be positioned on launch waivers within the coming days and, upon clearing, grow to be a free agent who’s eligible to signal with some other membership. Any group that indicators Bumgarner would solely must 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.
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