Remember when people actually thought the Cardinals trading for Madison Bumgarner before last season's trade deadline could be a good idea?
Oh, wait, I was one of those people.
Sorry, folks.
The Cardinals fortunately grabbed two better (and cheaper) starters at last season’s deadline (Jose Quintana and Jordan Montgomery), one of which is still around (Montgomery), and did not attach themselves to the contract burden the Diamondbacks swallowed Thursday. Bumgarner was designated for assignment, and is headed toward being available to other teams for a prorated share of the league-minimum salary. Arizona owes him more than $34 million. Ouch.
It was the Cardinals' pummeling of Bumgarner in a 14-5 Redbirds winner on Wednesday at Busch Stadium that became the veteran southpaw's last start for the Diamondbacks, a grim game (for Arizona) that expedited the cutting of ties on a regrettable five-year, $85 million deal. In the desert, Bumgarner never came close to matching the success he had with the Giants during a decade-plus of mostly dominance there.
Bumgarner's fastball on Wednesday averaged lower than 90 mph and got drilled by the Cardinals. Exit velocities were off the charts as he surrendered seven earned runs on seven hits in just three innings. He struck out two and walked four, one of which was catcher Willson Contreras, who was cursed at by Bumgarner – and returned the favor – during an at-bat that resulted in an emphatic Contreras bat flip following the free pass.
Now that Bumgarner is headed toward being up for grabs for a prorated portion of the league minimum salary of $720,000, some will wonder if a team should take a buy-low shot on him. The Cardinals, predictably, could once again use starting-pitching assistance. As of Thursday's off day, their two quality starts provided by the rotation is tied for the lowest in the National League. But there is little reason to think Bumgarner has much to offer at this point, and not just because he would have to make up with Contreras.
Even as someone who has been slow to let go of Bumgarner’s three World Series rings with the Giants, four All-Star appearances and various postseason heroics — sometimes against the Cardinals — it now takes too much squinting to see an appealing picture. Even with the money now out of the picture.
He’s turning 34 in August. Hitters have averaged above .300 and slugged higher than .500 against his cutter, curveball and changeup so far this season. He’s winless in four starts this season with a 10.26 ERA in 16.2 innings that have included 25 hits, 15 walks and just 10 strikeouts. His Fielding Independent Pitching is 8.13. He's not suffering from bad luck. He's suffering from bad pitching. The Cardinals need less of that, not more. They need to prove they can fix their own pitchers before taking on a MadBum miracle project.
Why the heck did I think this guy was once a decent option?
Through early July of last season, Bumgarner had recovered from an injury shortened 2020 and crafted a 3.74 ERA through his first 17 starts. He was healthier than some of the much-discussed potential trade-deadline upgrades. He would have been cheaper in terms of trade chips required, too, because of the significant dollars remaining on his deal. The Diamondbacks held on to him, and that call aged even worse than me wondering if the Cardinals should have tried to get him.
Bumgarner got tagged for a 7.26 ERA in nine starts after the 2022 deadline came and went, and allowed five or more earned runs in five of those nine starts, six of which failed to reach six innings. That slide has continued into this season. Concerns about his sagging velocity grew during spring training. It leaked out that the Diamondbacks were hoping to trade him this season. Too late.
In what became Bumgarner's final start for the Diamondbacks, Contreras swung through a meatball for a strike and let out a howl. He knew it was a pitch he should have crushed. Bumgarner took offense, and the expletives began to fly both ways.
“If you can’t see it, I don’t know how to help,” Bumgarner told reporters when asked what Contreras did to set him off.
As easy to see is why Arizona, a team trying to win, just paid big money to remove Bumgarner from its rotation. That's not usually an arm other teams trying to win rush in to add, even at a bare-minimum cost. It looks like it's over, and it looks like the Cardinals ended it.
