Madison Bumgarner became the latest free agent pitcher to leave the open market, agreeing to a five-year, $85MM deal with the Diamondbacks on Sunday. While reports from earlier this week suggested that Arizona was in the mix, it still raised a lot of eyebrows to see the D’Backs (who weren’t considered likely to either make a big free agent signing or pursue a big-ticket pitcher) wind up as Bumgarner’s new destination. Here’s more on the signing…
- The Diamondbacks were Bumgarner’s top choice in free agency “provided they could pay him at an appropriate level,” The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) hears from a source close to the left-hander. The $85MM guarantee was enough to get it done, though $15MM of the money is deferred. While it wasn’t quite the five-year/$100MM commitment Bumgarner and his camp were reportedly hoping to land, it could be that the D’Backs came close enough, or — as Rosenthal speculates — perhaps no team was willing to go to nine figures for Bumgarner’s services.
- Rosenthal and his fellow scribes at The Athletic discussed the Bumgarner signing in a roundtable, with Andrew Baggarly noting that new Giants manager Gabe Kapler hadn’t yet spoken with the southpaw as of the Winter Meetings. In Baggarly’s view, that was the sign that Bumgarner wasn’t returning to San Francisco. “If the Giants had legitimate interest, and believed they had a legitimate chance, you can bet that calls and meetings would’ve been set up. Kapler would have begun the back-channeling before he even got the job,” Baggarly writes.
- A counter-argument of sorts is provided by Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links), who reports that the Giants offered Bumgarner a four-year contract in the range of $17MM per year in average annual value. “One of [Bumgarner’s] confidants” believes the lefty would have re-signed with the Giants had they offered him the same deal as Arizona, Schulman writes, except the fifth year might have been enough to pull the D’Backs of San Francisco and perhaps other suitors. Indeed, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link) reports that the Twins were also unwilling to give Bumgarner a fifth year.
- The fact that Bumgarner went to something of a mystery team creates even more of a crunch for teams who were known to be more fervently pursuing rotation help. Ironically, the team that could benefit from this crunch could be the D’Backs themselves. As The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan puts it, “the Diamondbacks may have just created the starting pitching scarcity they need to trade Robbie Ray for his best value.” There has been wide speculation that Ray could be dealt this offseason, as Ray is entering the final year of his contract and is projected to earn $10.8MM in his last year of arbitration eligibility. With Bumgarner now in the fold, the D’Backs could feel enough comfort in their rotation to move Ray and both address other needs while getting his salary off the books at the same time.
- As a final coda on Bumgarner’s tenure with the Giants, Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group notes that Bumgarner might not have reached free agency if it weren’t for a pair of injuries — Bumgarner’s infamous dirt biking accident in April 2017, and then the fractured hand suffered on his last Spring Training outing in 2018. In both instances, the Giants were on the verge of broaching extension talks with their longtime ace.
jkoms57
Wonder what the Pirates big move will be?
kahnkobra
Fernando Rodney
66TheNumberOfTheBest
To Las Vegas in 2030.
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
Las Vegas will get a team before that. 2025 either the Rays or Marlins. one goes to Vegas. The other goes to Montreal.
elgmac
FYI Marlins can’t move outta Miami after the 2042 season
jkoms57
Lol just because a team isn’t playing good (Marlins/Pirates) doesn’t mean they’re not financially sound.
Moving comes down to stadium funding, and Pittsburgh and Miami both have very nice updated/compliant stadiums.
Phanatic 2022
Oakland?
bostonbob
Week, I’ve been saying that for awhile. Fla team going to Vegas
Dock_Elvis
Service economy, 81 home games in a 35-45k seat park….no regional market…no legacy. Vegas makes Phoenix look attractive.
Johnny Baseball
If I am reading the market right not much so Cherington should just keep him.
Joegio
Breaking news. Cherington just traded forwhomjoshbelltolls to the FORWHOMJOSHBELLTROLLS FOR A PACK OF SMOKES AND A LOAF OF BREAD
dugdog83
The load of bread is deferred
Darth Alru
That dude costs a pair of old dirty socks at best, are you kidding me? Pack of smokes are too much, come on!
tug17509
Hope the cigarettes were Camel. Marlboro and deferred bread would have been an overpay for forwhomjoshbelltolls.
HarveyD82
bucs are gonna do what they did last year. nothing. who is the next player to spend this season on the IL?
jkoms57
Awesome comment about Marte lol
Ejemp2006
Bum could end up a Pirate. The Rats figures out veteran pitchers can be moved for prospects. All the Pirates have to do is lead the central and call AZ with a good offer. Oh, look at that, I just realized, you’re right, the Pirates couldn’t ever get Bum.
captainchaos55
100 losses
jkoms57
Haha I’m getting some hilarious responses
Ironman_4life
Raising beer to 1.50 / oz
sevans36
To trade archer back to rays for a fringe prospect while covering 1/2 his salary.
jkoms57
Gonna need at least 2 fringe prospects..
afterall, that was their asking price for Gerrit Cole
towinagain
This was the Padres best shot to contend. Sign Keuchel and it softens the blow.
towinagain
Years more of futility. Tough being a Pads fan.
steelerbravenation
Yeah right they were his first choice all along lol
Kapler's Coconut Oil
He and his wife have a home in Arizona, so it’s not much of a stretch to say he wanted to be there.
GaryWarriorsRedSoxx
Having a home there has nothing to do with it… I don’t know why people keep saying that.
Athletes have homes all over the country and like spending time in different locations. Most people with money have different homes in different parts of the country…
prov356
Yeah, Phillies fans were adamant that Trout would be a Phillie because he grew up there. Harper lives in Vegas and is a Phillie. It’s just wishful thinking for a lot of people if a good player is from where they are.
carlos15
Philly fans thought it was a guarantee Trout would be joining Harper, it was funny when that all came crashing down on them.
southbeachbully
@Gary
Generally, I would agree with you that where a player is from or where he has a house doesn’t matter. In some cases it does. It looks like MadBum “settled” for a contract far from what we all thought he could get. So maybe he’s a different guy? Unless you know him or have followed his life 24/7 then maybe @Nathaniel Brownson suggestion need not be so easily dismissed.
bjsguess
Sorry but what?
Do people you know routinely buy properties in areas they don’t like? Those that can afford more than one house choose places they enjoy being. Newsflash – not everyone wants to live anywhere.
It was clear that Bumgarner likes AZ. All things equal, I’m guessing that he was prioritizing AZ and SF above all else.
Just because he COULD live anywhere doesn’t mean that he WANTS to live anywhere. And he’s at a point where he could pick his location. Good on him.
AndyMeyer
If the Angels didn’t offer him the extension, chances are he would’ve wound up in Philly
GaryWarriorsRedSoxx
All I’m saying is he can go wherever he wants to… it doesn’t have to be where he owns a home.
He can even go to Arizona if he likes LOL.
johndietz
Actually, he would have been a Yankee, and it would have probably been over $500 million
CardsNation5
Yeah, but athletes over the years have said that Arizona is the best place to live.
GaryWarriorsRedSoxx
CardsNation5, yes that’s absolutely true I agree. Even if they don’t own homes there, LOL.
MoRivera 1999
AZ is not the best place to live. Unless you like 115 degrees in the summer, sand storms and endless desert.
Dock_Elvis
AZ and Texas are AMAZING on taxes though.
jkoms57
Phil kassel preferred a trade to arizona in hockey too so not a stretch.
Some people like hippies and deserts
politicsNbaseball
Why do you think Arizona is full of hippies?
skip tracey
lol the only time I link Arizona with hippies is when the Grateful Dead are passing through. And the one guy on that survival (discovery channel) show.
rct
Because there are a ton of very old and sheltered people who post here.
tp44
Lol that dude teaches at my local juco in Arizona
jkoms57
Cuz I saw that movie with David Duchovny…
nypadre66
If Kessel wanted to go to Phoenix, they must have some good hamburger and hot dog joints. Plus, now he doesn’t have to worry about anybody watching him not play any defense or hit anyone.
bluejays92
lmao I stopped watching hockey years ago, but this was my first thought too when Kessel was mentioned.
dnr7
Most of Arizona is not full of hippies… it’s mostly full of Chicagoans and Californians that are sick of getting the crap taxed out of them and want to enjoy some semblance of freedom.
Now, Sedona, on the other hand… a bunch of tree-hugging hippies.
RedFeather
Cardinals? [crickets…]
RedFeather
I have a weird feeling the Diamondbacks are going to sign Ozuna next.
CubsFan73
Sign Ozuna or Trade Ray to Twins for Rosario or Yankees for Frazier
Dbacks44
I would love Rosario. Lefty bat is needed.
TheMick7
@Cubsfan73: Do you think Frazier would be enough to get Ray? I’m honestly not sure, but if they could, I think it would be worth it.
paindonthurt
Depends on how much the Snakes value Frazier. I would guess it would take a little more.
TheMick7
That was my thought – his performances damaged his stock. I was thinking maybe Frazier and either pitching or fielding prospect in the 5-10 range?
dobsonel
Keep in mind Ray’s numbers are good but not great he costs 10 mil. Frazier is league minimum and controllable for several more seasons. Snacks would have to eat money to get more than Frazier.
TheMick7
Lol, very nice dobsonel
southbeachbully
@CubsFan73
I think the Yanks pass. They have Cole/Severino/Paxton/Tanaka/German with Happ and Montgomery on the outside. I doubt Ray would break that top 5 group..
skip 2
They are trying to trade Happ.
TheMick7
It’s a very good point. I was simply wondering because German’s suspension is still not determined and they are shopping Happ as this other gentleman pointed out. I also figured they may try to acquire him to supplement the inevitable injury….
PinstripedPride
German is going to be facing an undisclosed suspension and Happ is almost certain to be traded. So itd be great to have some insurance like Ray
MN BenG
It will take more than Robbie Ray to get Eddie Rosario from the Twins.
SaberSmuckers
“In Baggarly’s view, that was the sign that Kapler wasn’t returning to San Francisco.”
sufferforsnakes
In Baggarly’s view, that was the sign that Kapler wasn’t returning to San Francisco.
???
Joegio
This wss a post about bumgard, and the first comments are on the pirates. Give cherington time.
mike156
This could be the one transaction where all three parties get what they want and are ultimately satisfied with the results. Madbum knows it’s his last big contract, so, while he can leave some money on the table, leaving a ton over sentiment is probably unwise. Arizona re-invests the money they saved on Greinke and gets a younger pitcher (albeit not as good) over a longer period of time. The Giants aren’t winning any time soon, so seeing him leave without rancor saves money and face.
RunDMC
Is AZ still paying any of Greinke’s deal or did HOU assume the rest of it?
Mike_Davis
Houston is paying all but $25m of Greinke’s contract. Including the deferred money, $62.5m over years 22-26.
For the Astros it basically works out to this:
19 – $5m
20 – $25m
21 – $25m
22 – $12.5m
23 – $12.5m
24 – $12.5m
25 – $12.5m
26 – $12.5m
Anyone who doesn’t believe the Dbacks won this trade big time, is deluding themselves.
dugdog83
Dbacks saved money. That’s not winning a trade.
iml12
TBD. They got a bunch of prospect too and greinke didn’t get the astros the ring
scottaz
Mike, I have a question about your numbers. I wonder if the Dbacks also paid three years of the $12.5M deferred money? I haven’t seen any quasi-official report detailing how that money was handled in the trade? Back when Jerry Colangelo mortgaged the Dbacks future by deferring contract money that he later couldn’t pay and the league bailed him and the franchise out of bankruptcy, the league passed “The Colangelo Rule” forcing teams to “fund” these deferred payments to ensure they wouldn’t repeat what Colangelo had recklessly done. If true, it’s possible the Dbacks have already “funded” or paid those first 3 of 5 deferred payments? I don’t know this for fact, it’s just what I heard from others when discussing Greinke’s contract with the Dbacks. If you have official clarification on this, I’d love to be educated.
Mike_Davis
You are correct about deferred money having to be placed in escrow. And maybe I am wrong about who is paying the deferred money to Greinke,
Mike_Davis
Saving money while acquiring the Astros’ #3, 4, 5, & 22nd ranked prospects.
deweybelongsinthehall
Greinke was also secured to offset the loss of Cole as best as possible in 2020.; clock hasn’t stopped ticking. The WS is not won or lost in December and even without Cole, the Astros will be the favorite after NY in the AL.
its_happening
Greinke is no Cole, and who knows what Houston will get from their #3-5. Asking Verlander to maintain 2019 dominance is still tall order. The clock may have had it’s power outage. The AL West is getting stronger. 2020 will be the Wild West.
number1dodger
Thank goodness he’s not a Dodger. I don’t care where he went. As long as it’s not LA. At least Max could still have a chance at the long ball. 🙂
Zerbs63
Go get it out of the pool
jimthegoat
How bad does the decision to not trade Bumgarner look right now?
Baseball 1600
Not too bad. Their farm is still rising quickly and will be top 10 by the 2020 deadline rankings. They gave their best pitcher of the last 20 years a proper send-off at the end of the season with a standing ovation at home. Plus, Bumgarner wasn’t exactly going to garner an insane return given his stats at the time of the deadline.
amk3510
Top 10 farm by the deadline? Get a grip they have the 4th best farm in their own division and absolutely nothing to sell off and thats no joke. There is literally not a single player on that roster that will bring back anything notable of a return.
Baseball 1600
Somebody must be looking at outdated rankings. Check BaseballAmerica’s most recent rankings and reconsider your comment.
Xavier Blaine
“Nothing to sell off”
The front office has shown they will get creative in order to bolster their farm, such as getting the Angels #4 prospect in exchange for taking on Cozarts salary.
Mike_Davis
That is not really “creative”. That is just the Angels selling off a prospect in exchange for a salary dump.
amk3510
They were not in MLB.com top 15 rankings. They were not in baseball americas top organizations. Their farm teams have all been mediocre. Not 1 publication considers them a top farm. That team is years away from competing.
amk3510
There is a reason the Angels were willing to give up Wilson so fast. He struggled making the transition to wood bats bad. There hasn’t been a notable prospect I can even think of traded in a salary dump.
clepto
Baseball 1600 has never dealt in reality AMK.
kenleyfornia2
Pretty much. He once told me Dereck Rodriguez was just as good as Buehler.
Baseball 1600
Not sure who you are Kenley, or why you believe I’ve ever made an interaction with you let alone the topic of Rodriguez and Buehler. And clepto is to not be taken seriously. Everyone should know that.
clepto
Kenley, it must be some OTHER clown named Baseball 1600 then, that has made many, many comments that make no logical sense. Your mistake. Try harder next time.
jimthegoat
The farm would be rising faster if they had traded him, giving him a “proper send-off” means absolutely nothing and the draft pick they now get for him will be even less insane than whatever they could have gotten by trading him.
bluemarc
there farm stinks there far away from contending
Baseball 1600
Their farm stinks? You’re crazy if you believe that as they are currently 14th.
AndyMeyer
So it’s average at best
Mike_Davis
The Giants have a bottom third farm. If everything works out in their favor in 2020, the likelihood is that they are middle of the pack in ranking by year’s end.
Baseball 1600
14th in MLB doesnt equal bottom third. 4 top 100 prospects doesn’t equal bottom third. Try again.
gravel
That already occurred chief. They have a middle of the pack farm. You could call it mediocre if you would like.
WarrenSpahn
“proper send-off” wha…
bgc100
Depends on what was available to them at the trade deadline vs what they get as a compensatory draft pick? So, maybe it doesn’t look bad at all. But, we’ll never know since we’ll never know what was on offer at the trade deadline.
jimthegoat
Their comp pick will fall after the 2nd round. So unless you are trying to say that no one was offering something better than a 2nd/3rd round sandwich pick in order to have one of the greatest postseason pitchers of all time on their team in the postseason, then they definitely should have traded him.
Mike_Davis
I have a hard time believing Bum wouldn’t have commanded multiple prospects in return.
JohhnyBets67
rhino!
Jean Matrac
If the Giants were turning down big offers for Bum at the deadline, they wouldn’t have let him go in free-agency as easily as they did. That they did suggests none of the offers were any better than the extra draft pick.
jimthegoat
Sandwich pick between the 2nd and 3rd round. That is what you are saying the Giants couldn’t get for Bumgarner at the deadline.
jekporkins
While I wish he and Smith had been traded, I truly believe if there was a good enough trade offer in front of Zaidi both would have been gone. After seeing what Toronto got for Marcus Stroman I bet they figured a couple of mediocre prospects or grabbing a solid pick after Bum bolts were roughly the same.
The Giants have a decent farm right now. They are ranked in the middle of the pack and have four really solid prospects expected to be playing by 2022.
Simple Simon
D’backs clinched with agreement to let Bum ride his horse to the stadium and they would transport it home for him after night games.
Mike_Davis
You are not riding any horse around down town Phoenix. With the drivers here, both would be dead after their first try at this misadventure.
YankeesBleacherCreature
I think he meant a camel, armor-plated.
DarthDbacks
Or maybe they told him he could participate in a motocross at Chase Field.
wordonthestreet
Friedman and the Dodgers stay on the sideline again! Wow this is chump change for a team like the Dodgers, but Friedman and the front office just cannot get it done as usual.
ForestCobraAL
The Dodgers are owned by Guggenheim, a vulture fund. Guggenheim are professional bloodsuckers.
AndyMeyer
FELONY FRAUD!!!!
clepto
Do you ever post a comment that even remotely makes sense??
paindonthurt
I think the Dodgers go hard after Hader. I was thinking he wouldn’t be traded at first, but I’m changing my tune. Hader to the Dodgers for a large prospect haul.
amk3510
Bumgarner has bad peripherals. They didn’t need another lefty finness starter.
wordonthestreet
Ok but the reports seemed to indicate the Dodgers were interested. If they were interested they should have closed the deal. Whether the signing would be be bad or good could have been debated but if they were in on him then this price tag should not have stopped them b
BlueSkyLA
They were interested enough to have discussions with him and interested enough for Kershaw to talk at some length about having him as a teammate. Dodgers mangement is so good at throwing egg on the faces of their own people they should have the technique patented.
Basebal101
@word. You gotta learn to stay away from the media. You can’t be the only person to realize the Dodger’s are supposedly linked to every free agent that exists are you? They never had any interest in Bum. Just like they were supposedly going after Harper, Machado, Rendon, Strasburg as of recent.. They never seriously pursued any of them, and as a Dodger’s fan I’m glad. Learn the business side of the game….
BlueSkyLA
They met with Bumgarner. The discussions were serious enough that Kershaw was talking about it. But I said that already, didn’t I? I guess Kersh has to learn to stay away from the media too?
They made an offer to Harper. One he was never going to accept, but they made it.
Machado was just chatter. Nobody who knew anything thought it made any sense for him to get an offer from the Dodgers.
They met with Rendon but didn’t make him an offer in the end, for reasons Rendon has himself talked about publicly. Did you miss that?
They met with Strasburg. He signed back to the Nationals before any other team could make him an offer, apparently.
And so on.
Why would a team even meet with a player who they were not “serious” about signing? The obvious answer is they are “serious” but they are lowballing and hoping it works.
bluemarc
the giants treated him unfairly never offering a large contract but Schulman always thinks everyone wants to play with the giants . Stanton wouldn’t go or Harper too.
jimthegoat
How much $ did they offer Bryce?
Mike_Davis
Bum pretty much did this to himself. Likely would have been extended but for his misadventure with an ATV during the season. And then broke his hand the next season.
WarrenSpahn
exactly…
snotrocket
The dirt bike accident cost him 100 million bucks easily. Had he not done that the old front office would have extended him for sure.
rynosox14
What will Hahn’s excuse be with this one?
Seems pretty reasonable deal for d-backs
ChiSox_Fan
He wanted to be in AZ.
He wants to hit.
paindonthurt
Yes. This is a case when I actually believe a player wanted to be there and didn’t just take the most money.
wordonthestreet
If the White Sox offered a better deal he would be in Chicago but the White Sox failed again.
jimthegoat
Pretty much yeah. They were able to sign Grandal that way.
paindonthurt
I don’t agree with that. He wants to be in the NL and hit. I believe he also took less money to play in Arizona. Occasionally, players do go for less money to a place they prefer to play.
wordonthestreet
Hahn and the White Sox will make up some excuse for failing to land Madbum, probably the same excuses they seem to make when they cant land a FA they want and need.
kroeg49
I’m so tired of Chicago White Sox BS. They blew their chance to go big and go for it this off-season. The absolute worst thing Bill Veeck ever did to his fans was to sell the team to this tightwad, Reinsdorf. Our GM Hahn is all talk and no action.
Might as well start rooting for the D-Backs since I moved to Arizona fifteen years ago. I save not buying MLB to boot.
Dock_Elvis
No reason to think Bumgarner wanted to go to Chicago for any contract. I’d have loved to see it, but some guys are a little more low key than that. He also wanted to hit. Dudes a cowboy and he likes AZ.
Matt Ragusa
Wow did they overspend on Bumgarner.
paindonthurt
How is this an overspend for him? Look at the market. The only thing you can really say is questionable is the 5th year. Some of the money was deferred on an already low AV by market standard.
jimthegoat
I’ve noticed a pattern with a lot of commenters on here:
– Swear up and down that player x will sign with their team for whatever reasons (like Giants fans saying Bumgarner would never leave given their history or Angels fans saying Cole would sign with them because he’s from Angels country)
– When he doesn’t sign with their team, say that the other team overpaid and that they’re glad their GM didn’t match/beat their offer
– Rinse and repeat
JohhnyBets67
I too have noticed a pattern.
Insert *typical Ryan jargon* -“Jim the Goat”
gravel
It’s not always the same posters. One fan wants the coffers to be opened for long time team stalwarts. Others want value. There are those in the middle too.
It isn’t surprising you see the comments you described.
YankeesBleacherCreature
A majority, yes. Including some from my fanbase – the Yankees. Drives me nuts all of the armchair GMs which don’t have a basic understanding of economics and baseball analytics. There are some sensible folks which keeps me coming back. Otherwise it might as well be TMZ baseball.
EatCrow
Muncy: Go get it out of the pool?
dugdog83
Quote of the day!
scottaz
I agree with the basic premise of this article, that the Dbacks’ signing of MadBum also enhanced their ability to get a good return for Ray in a trade. What has now changed is that the Dbacks don’t need to get young, controllable pitching back for Ray, now they need to address their OF.
Also, consider this, although this is Ray’s last season of arbitration, his contract is only $10.8M. So he’s not just a rental, he can relatively easily be signed to a long term contract. Same thing happened with Goldschmidt. The Cardinals knew they could get him to sign a long term contract because his existing contract was so reasonable, he wasn’t viewed strictly as a rental and the Dbacks got a very nice return. I expect something similar will happen with Ray. He certainly won’t command the kind of return the Dbacks got for Goldschmidt, but he’ll get a lot more than most commenters on these boards expect.
Mike_Davis
I definitely think it would be in their best interests to get a MLB ready arm back in any package for Ray. Not a top prospect, but a prospect who is seen as a #4/5 & ready to contribute sometime in 2020.
As it stands with Bum & Ray, the rotation is solid. But by trading Ray, you are relying on two pitchers who will be limited in innings pitch in Weaver & Gallen, two pitchers who are back of the rotation inning eaters, Young who is probably better suited as a swingman/lonhgman, & a bunch question marks.
scottaz
Mike, true, teams can never have enough pitching. I was worried about the Dbacks rotation when they had both Weaver and Taijuan Walker coming back from injuries, but they let Walker go, so I’m not as concerned. They are 14 pitchers deep, as far as starters are concerned, and although half of them are young prospects, so as you write are “question marks”, there is so much depth it eases my concerns.
But looking at their depth chart, they literally have no CF or RF on the roster. Because of health concerns, Ketel Marte will not play much CF this year. So that leaves only David Peralta as a corner OF starter. Two impact OF are the true priority. I predict Ray will be traded for a young, controllable OF.
Mike_Davis
I assume the OF will be addressed once Shogo makes his decision. Marte might end up back in CF since there are more serviceable 2Bs available available in FA than OFs.
scottaz
Mike, except Shogo is a CF, which puts Marte on the IF and still leaves a gap in the corner OF.
BTW, I wouldn’t rule out a Nick Ahmed trade that would put Marte back at his original position, SS until Perdomo is ready in 2 years.
scottaz
Mike, I just checked stats on Gallen for 2019. He pitched 91 1/3 innings in the minors and 80 more innings in the majors, so at 171.1 innings in 2019, he’ll pitch a full season in 2020 with no innings limit.
8
Robbie go bye bye
AZPat
They finally get out from under the Greinke deal and now this. Does Madbum have 5 years in him? Does he have 1?
MN BenG
I think Bumgarner does have 5 years in him. Look at his salary 5 yrs from now and I bet it’s relatively low.
Good signing IMO
jints1
Do think he wanted to go to Arizona. Each player. Not convinced he liked SF.
snotrocket
Not much to like about San Francisco, or most big cities for that matter.
whynot 2
Country bumpkin
snotrocket
Used needles and human feces on the sidewalk is super cool. Nature sucks.
WarrenSpahn
and the frequency of mental illness walking the streets, including along the Giants ballpark, is about 50%…
MoRivera 1999
Guess that’s why there’s a mass migration to cities.
Oxford Karma
I am disappointed that the Giants didn’t match that offer. He is a hero there & that’s not that much SP money in this era. They took on Longorias very similar contract and signed Jeff S(?) for that money too. It’s nice to have multiple high draft picks, but seems like it would have made more sense to sign him and trade other $ away for pieces.
gravel
Evans and Sabian signed Samardzija and traded for Longoria. Zaidi doesn’t make those moves, nor does he do reward contracts like those given to Cain, Lincecum, Huff, Belt, Crawford, etc…
WarrenSpahn
that is the Gigantes’ philosophy that guarantees 100+ losses in 2020…
Mariners_Mojo
Maybe Arizona promises him the Micah Owings treatment
Jerryuop
I’m going on a boycott of the Giants this season. Madbum was one of the few players left on the team that made them interesting to watch still. The team has plenty of space under the cap to have kept him… now we get a lottery ticket in the supplemental round that may or may not pan out. I guarantee they aren’t lowering the cost of beer or giving fans a break on the $35 parking…
Maybe this makes me old (41), but I hate the direction that baseball has gone the last few years with sabermetrics and everyone going for a strikeout or home run mentality. In their effort to attract new fans (which they aren’t), baseball is alienating all of the traditional baseball fans. The day that soccer is more popular than baseball in the U.S. is the day I hope to have a heart attack.
findingnimmo
Wow.
whynot 2
Haha… The World Cup is coming in a few years, better start making arrangements
WarrenSpahn
breathe in, breathe out…
bellybombs
Zaidi cutting the heart out of Aints.
Ashtem
I hope Akiyama goes to the Desert Marte can move back to Second Base and reduce the risk of injury
GarysOldeTowneTavern
Farhan really wanted the 75th best athlete in this next draft class. Could’ve traded him and resigned him. He and Will Wilson are going to anchor the next… forget it. Every team needs an all star? Looks like the mascot will be going for the Giants next year.
its_happening
The new manager must’ve been told Bumgarner isn’t coming back, and Kapler didn’t bother. Sounds like Zaidi had no interest and wanted that draft pick. Typical ex-A’s executive move. Lots more to come.
jb-4
I still can’t believe the Giants are going from Bruce Bochy to Gabe Kapler. Oof.
Adios pelota!
Same dude same… I have a feeling that was a bigger reason than a lot of those people listed above. Could you imagine Kapler telling Bum he can’t go out to pitch the 6th inning cause the analytics say all pitchers decline after 5 innings! I think it was a atrocious hiring. Hes going to burn the bullpen out. As you said Oof!
I also believe not putting in more effort to sign Bum is a mistake (Bums choice of course). You can bring up age and miles all you want but hes not a flamethrower and hasn’t ever really been one, he pitches with deception and movement. So maybe he lasts longer than the average pitcher. Bum will be missed by giants fans but at least he signed here in AZ so I can watch him whenever.
phillyballers
If he makes it to the end healthy he will probably get a Hamels type deal from some team.
Louiebeans
Yankees shoulda been all over this!
murillob
I’m actually surprised he didn’t get more with the contracts going around now.
nailz#4life
DBACKS OUTBID the DBACKS..wow ownership needs to be fired.
the guru
bum got robbed…his pay was so low its sad whats happening to the MLB right now.
WarrenSpahn
$85M and he got robbed? would someone please rob me, too!
doubtful if Bum is sad today. probably bought hisself another F150 with all the bells and whistles…
Hondo_Lane
Zaidi and Kapler are running the Guants like they’re the 1999 Oakland Athletics.
Except the Giants are a top 5 MLB revenue team. But their lineup does not resemble a top 5 MLB revenue team.
Good luck filling the seats at the park with those two ex-Dewdger propeler-heads running the organization.
giaaantsfan
been a giants fan for forty years and i will never go to a game again
IjustloveBaseball
I’d love to see the D’backs compete over the next few years. Some things will have to break right — I know, that can be said for many teams — but they have the talent.
If Arizona does in fact manage to stay a competitive club, it will be a good example of a team that avoided a full “tear-down” in favor of “re-tooling.” Maybe other clubs will follow suit…
driftcat28 2
Surprised Arizona was Bum’s first choice
ldoggnation
Great few days for the Valley of the Sun in AZ. First Madbum and then Taylor Hall. HUGE!
Hondo_Lane
Pronably Only Buster Posey has a shot at being a Giant for a career, but IMO Bumgarner has a better shot at being a hall of famer.
james5150
Could someone please tell me what the white sox are doing I can’t figure them out