Madison Bumgarner will be remaining in the NL West, but it will be with a surprising team.
Bumgarner and the Arizona Diamondbacks are nearing a five-year deal, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Sunday. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal says the deal is for $85 million, with $15 million deferred.
Bumgarner was said to have been seeking a five-year deal for more than $100 million.
The Diamondbacks had a need for an ace after trading Zack Greinke to the Houston Astros last season, which explains their interest in Bumgarner. But the move seems somewhat odd for a team that didn’t seem to be committed to spending money to win.
Why trade Paul Goldschmidt and Greinke only to spend on Bumgarner? It doesn’t make much sense.
Bumgarner is 30 and has already pitched 1,846 career regular season innings and 102.1 postseason innings. He made 34 starts last season but posted a 3.90 ERA — the worst of his career. His stuff seems good and his fastball velocity was fine, so a return to form seems like it could still happen. Plus, Arizona knows Bumgarner has a history of success pitching in the NL West.
