‘NO. 1 PLACE FOR ME’
Bumgarner left money on the table to join Arizona’s young roster
The Arizona Diamondbacks didn’t enter the offseason expecting to add to their rotation, but the club ended up signing one of the best starters available to the second-richest free agent deal in franchise history.
That’s what happens when Madison Bumgarner forces the issue.
“It was the No. 1 place for me,” Bumgarner said of Arizona. “I did tell (my agent) that. We talked about that often.”
Following a news conference at Chase Field on Tuesday in which the D’backs officially introduced Bumgarner, 30, the pitcher confirmed he left money on the table to sign a five-year, $85 million deal with Arizona.
It’s possible Bumgarner eschewed a few nine-figure offers, but the former San Francisco Giants left-hander said money was not the driving force in his free agency and he was eager to pitch for the D’backs.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said during the Winter Meetings that San Francisco was engaged with Bumgarner’s agent, Ed Cerulo, about a possible reunion, but the Giants were not among the teams that outbid Arizona for his services.
Even if the Giants were willing to exceed the D’backs offer, which includes $15 million of deferred money to be paid out after 2024, it’s uncertain whether Bumgarner would have passed up the chance to sign elsewhere.
Bumgarner said Tuesday his desire to play in Arizona exceeded his desire to return to
San Francisco.
When pressed for a reason, Bumgarner said he would be willing to explain the circumstances in spring training, but he owed it to the D’backs to show his excitement about moving forward on day one with the organization.
“That’s one of the things we’re going to have to answer in the spring,” Bumgarner said. “But I will answer it.”
How did the Giants, the only team Bumgarner had ever played for, fall out of favor?
It’s a complex question, but one that will be explored for years to come, regardless of how the pitcher performs in his new home over the next half-decade.
Before the Giants even discussed a possible long-term commitment with Bumgarner and Cerulo this offseason, the team had plenty of previous chances to discuss the pitcher’s future.
After being selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2007 draft, Bumgarner ascended rapidly through the minor leagues and made his major league debut at 20 years old in September 2009. The following season, Bumgarner became a midsummer call-up and emerged as a steady force in a rotation that led the Giants to their first title in San Francisco-era history.
By April 2012, Bumgarner had more than 300 MLB innings under his belt when he agreed to a fiveyear, $35 million extension with club options for 2018 and 2019. The deal gave Bumgarner and his family much-desired financial security, but it eventually became one of the most team-friendly contracts in franchise history.
As other teammates signed extensions for double the money and the Giants’ front office set aside hundreds of millions for free agent additions, Bumgarner’s original extension was never torn up in favor of a fairer deal.
Bumgarner hasn’t discussed his contract with the Giants publicly, but the 2019 offseason was not the first opportunity the franchise had to ensure he would remain with the organization at least into his mid-30s. The Giants had obvious chances to broach the subject after his masterful 2014 World Series efforts and again following his heroic complete game in the 2016 NL wild-card game, but contract talks that were planned for early in the 2017 regular season were stalled before they started when Bumgarner separated his pitching shoulder in a dirt-bike incident.
By the time the 2019 season began, Bumgarner was eager to test the market and see what he was worth in free agency. It was not the team’s third consecutive losing season, the decision to hire Gabe Kapler as manager or any other recent factor that contributed to Bumgarner’s desire to see how he was viewed by other clubs.
It was all that led up to his final season with San Francisco.
When the time came for Bumgarner to pursue new options, he and his wife, Ali, had already spent months considering their future.
Even if Arizona wasn’t necessarily looking for him, Bumgarner figured he could pique general manager Mike Hazen’s interest by clearly expressing a desire to join the D’backs.
“We started to do a lot of work on it and we felt like the fit was too good not to pursue,” Hazen said. “We knew over the next couple of years that finding someone to anchor our rotation was going to be a need and we felt like this year, why not?”
Bumgarner said he and Ali plan to explore the local housing market and would be interested in purchasing land in Arizona, but North Carolina will always be home. That’s where the family has about 20 horses, some of which have traveled to the desert in the past.
Outside of the lifestyle he enjoys in Arizona, Bumgarner is convinced the D’backs have a chance to challenge the Dodgers for NL West supremacy. As the Giants enter a critical stage of their rebuilding process, Bumgarner said the D’backs have a lineup that grinds through at-bats, young talent at various positions and exciting prospects who will soon hit the majors and a team that “plays the game the right way.”
“I would say they’ve got a bunch of grinders on this team,” Bumgarner said. “Guys that don’t take any pitch off. They’re just a hard-nosed group of guys.”
Bumgarner’s $85 million deal trails only the $206.5 million the D’backs gave to starting pitcher Zack Greinke in December 2015. It’s a contract the Giants could have easily matched if compelled to do so and one at least a few other teams were comfortable considering for a 30-year-old left-hander with nearly 2,000 career innings on his arm.
It’s possible the Los Angeles Dodgers were among the clubs seriously vying for Bumgarner’s services, but when asked about the Dodgers’ interest on Tuesday, Arizona’s new ace said he wasn’t particularly eager to expand his list of suitors once the D’backs became serious in their pursuit.
“I wasn’t playing the free agent market games,” Bumgarner said. “This is where I wanted to be and where we worked that out to a place where both sides were happy, I was done.”
For so long, Bumgarner has given Giants fans everything they could have hoped for and more. Now, he’s giving that to himself, completing his mission of joining the Diamondbacks.