PHOENIX (AP) The Arizona Diamondbacks have finalized Madison Bumgarner’s $85 million, five-year contract to join their rotation.
The move was announced Tuesday, two days after the sides reached an agreement for the 2014 World Series MVP pending a successful physical. A news conference with the longtime San Francisco Giants ace was scheduled for Tuesday at Chase Field.
Bumgarner’s addition is the marquee move for GM Mike Hazen this offseason. Bumgarner joins a rotation that also could include Robbie Ray, Zac Gallen, Mike Leake, Merrill Kelly or Alex Young.
It is an intriguing decision for the D-backs, who don’t neatly fit into the category of a small-market or large-market team. They’ve occasionally made splashes in free agency – like when they signed Zack Greinke to a $206.5 million, six-year deal ahead of the 2016 season – but usually are content to have a payroll in the middle of the MLB pack.
Arizona finished 85-77 last season after trading Greinke to Houston in July. Now the D-backs are trying to build a roster that can catch the Los Angeles 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 4-0 with a memorable Game 7 save and an 0.25 ERA in World Series play, and has pitched two shutouts in NL wild-card games.
Bumgarner matched his career high with the 34 starts this year, moving past two frustrating, injury-shortened seasons. He won 119 games and has a 3.13 career ERA over 11 seasons with the Giants.
The four-time All-Star missed nearly three months in 2017 after an April dirt bike accident during an off day in Colorado. Then Bumgarner broke the pinkie on his pitching hand when he was hit by a line drive in his final 2018 spring training start, undergoing surgery to insert pins into the finger. He returned in June that year and wound up 6-7 with a 3.26 ERA in 21 starts and 129 2/3 innings.
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AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report.
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