Bumgarner’s choice of D’backs was about winning
ExGiants lefty says Arizona ‘plays the way I like to play’; S.F. says thank you
PHOENIX — The first act of Madison Bumgarner’s baseball career consisted of 11 hugely successful seasons that included three World Series titles with the Giants.
Bumgarner believes his second act in Arizona can be just as memorable.
The Diamondbacks finalized their $85 million, fiveyear contract with the 2014 World Series MVP on Tuesday, announcing the deal and introducing their newest starter at Chase Field.
“First and foremost, winning is what the whole decision was based on,” Bumgarner said. “Being with a team, that in my mind, plays my brand of baseball. Plays the way I like to play.”
Bumgarner said Arizona was his “No. 1 place” when he talked with his agent about potential new destinations and said he “definitely left some money on the table” to come to the Diamondbacks. The North Carolina native said he’s always enjoyed Arizona during spring training when he was with the Giants, and usually would rent
a place in the Phoenix area where he could bring his family.
Now he’s looking forward to it being his second home.
The Giants had offered the 30yearold lefthander a fouryear, $70 million contract after he declined their qualifying offer. His new deal will pay him $6 million in 2020, $19 million in ’21, $23 million in ’22 and ’23 and $14 million in ’24, according to the Athletic and USA Today.
Asked about the freeagency process, Bumgarner said it was “exciting” and praised the work of his agent, Ed Cerulo of the Legacy Agency.
“I kind of stayed out of it for the most part,” he said. “On the phone more than I like to be typically . ... I’m just thankful to be here.”
The move was announced two days after the sides reached an agreement pending a successful physical. It’s a marquee addition for general manager Mike Hazen, who adds the lefty to a rotation that also could include Robbie Ray, Zac Gallen, Mike Leake, Merrill Kelly or Alex Young.
Hazen said the team didn’t start the offseason targeting Bumgarner, but once talks started, it became an obvious fit.
“His presence, his leadership, certainly his track record,” Hazen said. “All the things we’ve watched from across the field with the success he’s had with the San Francisco Giants, we felt this was a big add for us.”
It is an intriguing decision for the D’backs, who don’t neatly fit into the category of a smallmarket or largemarket team. They’ve occasionally made splashes in free agency — like when they signed Zack Greinke to a $206.5 million, sixyear deal ahead of the 2016 season — but usually are content to have a payroll in the middle of the MLB pack.
Arizona finished 8577 last season after trading Greinke to Houston in July. Now the D’backs are trying to build a roster that can catch the Dodgers, who won 106 games last season to earn their seventh straight NL West title.
If the D’backs can reach the postseason, Bumgarner’s presence could prove invaluable. He’s best known for his postseason performance — he is 40 with a memorable Game 7 save and an 0.25 ERA in World Series play, and has pitched two shutouts in NL wildcard games.
The fourtime AllStar matched his career high with the 34 starts this year, moving past two frustrating, injuryshortened seasons. He won 119 games and had a 3.13 career ERA with the Giants and said he loved his time in the Bay Area, thanking the fans for their support for more than a decade. During his tenure, the Giants won the World Series in 2010, ’12 and ’14.
“We thank Madison for all that he has given to the Giants and the Bay Area community and we are deeply grateful for the success, excitement and memories he created over a remarkable 11year period in a Giants uniform,” the team said in a statement. “We will always cherish his epic 2014 postseason run when he earned both NLCS and World Series MVP honors by carrying the team and all of Giants nation toward a third and historic world championship.
“He will be forever recognized as one of the greatest pitchers in the 138year history of the Giants. We wish him and his wife, Ali, all the best as they continue their baseball journey. He is truly a forever Giant.”
Bumgarner’s signing comes with a substantial amount of risk. His homeroad splits were drastic last season: he had a 2.93 ERA at Oracle Park but a 5.29 ERA on the road.
“We feel like we’re getting a topoftherotation pitcher,” Hazen said. “We’ve parsed through a lot of the numbers. It is what it is. I get it. But what we saw this year, we thought we saw a really good starting pitcher. We feel like he’s pitched at a level that we as an organization can benefit from.”
Bumgarner will be joined in Arizona by a couple of members of last season’s Giants: catcher Stephen Vogt and pitching coach Matt Herges.
“Vogt is one of the best teammates I’ve had, just being with him for a year, and I think Herges is going to be a really, really good pitching coach,” Bumgarner said. “I’m excited about it. I don’t want to say it really impacted it. I knew this was somewhere I wanted to be before those decisions were made.”
Chronicle assistant sports editor Jon Schultz contributed to this report.