Diamondbacks Release Madison Bumgarner

The Madison Bumgarner era came to an official end today.

The Madison Bumgarner era in Arizona came to an official close today, as the team announced they've released the veteran left-hander. Bumgarner signed a five-year, $85 million contract  with Arizona in December 2019. He was designated for assignment last Thursday, after a four poor starts that continued a troubling trend that started in the second half of last season. Arizona will eat the remaining $34 million of the contract.

The D-backs were looking to add a veteran to the rotation to supplement a rotation that featured Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Luke Weaver, and Robbie Ray at the time. Instead the veteran left-hander was unable to deliver, pitching to a 5.23 ERA in 69 career starts. His most effective season came in 2021, when he pitched to a 4.67 ERA (90 ERA+) in 26 starts and was worth 1.4 WAR according to Baseball Reference.

As a result of his release, Bumgarner will be allowed to sign with any club for the league minimum. A player who was once a critical rotation arm for three World Championships with the San Francisco Giants, he could see offers from other teams to see if they can find anything left in the tank on a low-risk deal.

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