SF Giants: The case against a reunion with LHP Madison Bumgarner

There may be sentimental reasons for a reunion with Madison Bumgarner, but the SF Giants should look past nostalgia, writes Pat Ellington.

The SF Giants may be headed towards MLB’s version of purgatory. The Giants have had enough depth on their big-league roster to be competitive but have been unable to develop a new set of stars to push them back into title contention. Recognizing their shortfalls, the Giants pursued top free agents, like Aaron Judge, last offseason, but they were left empty handed. Now off to a 6-12 start, fan morale in San Francisco is low. So, when the Arizona Diamondbacks designated former Giants ace Madison Bumgarner for assignment, it's understandable that some fans would hope for a reunion. But, I'm here to say, it does not make sense for MadBum to sign with the Giants.

SF Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner pitches against the Cubs. (2016) / Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

If I was in the Giants' organization, I would not give Bumgarner a spot on the Double-A or Triple-A roster. The sad reality is Bumgarner has been bad over a massive sample in recent seasons. During the 2022 season, opposing hitters went .281/.340/.487 against the three-time World Series champion across 158.2 innings. Although it is only a 16.2-inning sample this season, hitters have done even better, posting a 1.081 OPS against the southpaw across the first three weeks of the 2023 season.

Bumgarner has been prone to allowing home runs at a slightly below-average rate throughout his career for a pitcher of his stature, even while throwing a majority of his total innings pitched in the NL West’s cavernous ballparks per Baseball Reference. This issue has reared its ugly head in recent seasons, as his home runs allowed per nine innings pitched have not been below 1.3 since the 2018 season.

It might take a miracle from the baseball gods for this ball club to contend for one of the three Wild Card spots in the National League. Two teams from the NL East will probably occupy two of three spots, leaving the remaining teams in the NL West and NL Central one spot to fight for. It's hard to imagine the Giants coming out on top.

In seasons where it can become obvious early that your team is out of postseason contention, teams can cling to anything to improve entertainment value. The Pittsburgh Pirates reuniting with Andrew McCutchen is a great example. But the Giants are not a 90-loss team by any means, barring a fire sale. Furthermore, they already have plenty of starting pitching depth on the big-league roster and in the upper minors. 

Perhaps in a different era, when MLB did not cap the number of players an organization could have in its minor league ranks, maybe the Giants could crack the door open. But the Giants would have to release a player currently on a minor-league roster to welcome Bumgarner back to the organization. It's been more than three years since Bumgarner was even an average big-league pitcher. Nostalgia is fun, but it's not enough justification to give up on another player in the organization.

All in all, the odds of a resurgence from Madison Bumgarner are too low to justify the SF Giants investing in a restoration project. He’s not a Lamborghini Miura someone found in a barn that deserves a full restoration because of its potential and specialness. He’s more like that old, rusty Chevy Caprice Classic that you’ll see strewn across the Midwestern United States that makes you feel nostalgic about the past.