To San Francisco fans, Clayton Kershaw (35, LA Dodgers) is respected on the one hand, but annoying on the other. There is no need to explain the rivalry between the Dodgers and San Francisco. In such a situation, Kershaw, the Dodgers’ ace who has always been powerful to them, cannot be looked upon favorably.
Conversely, Dodgers fans have been annoyed by the name of Madison Bumgarner (34) for some time. This left-hander, who showed his fighting power every time he met the Dodgers, led them to the World Series title three times, which was the most painful moment for Dodgers fans. Additionally, his fiery personality often led to friction with Dodgers players. Of course, there was no way this side would look pretty either. The two teams themselves were so rivalry that even the two players who were strong against each other at a similar time also developed a rivalry as aces.
However, the recent actions of Kershaw and Bumgarner are completely opposite. Kershaw still throws the ball and is respected by Dodgers fans. Due to frequent injuries, he is not a player who can pitch 200 innings like he used to, but he is proving that he can pitch 100 to 150 innings at great quality. Conversely, Bumgarner is not on the mound in the major leagues right now. He’s not even on the mound in the minor leagues. Besides, no one is looking for it.
Bumgarner, who qualified as a free agent after the 2019 season, signed a five-year contract worth $85 million with Arizona ahead of the 2020 season. He is a player who has been compared a lot to Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto), who qualified as a free agent at the same time. This is because they had similar careers and were of similar age, so they had no choice but to influence each other’s price. Bumgarner was ahead of Ryu Hyun-jin ($80 million) in total amount, but Ryu Hyun-jin had the upper hand in average annual amount ($20 million) and went their separate ways.
However, Bumgarner has been on a steady decline since moving to Arizona. He lost his former dominance late in his San Francisco career as his velocity began to decline, and he became a literally mediocre pitcher in Arizona. When he recorded 1 win, 4 losses, and an ERA of 6.48 in 9 games in 2020, it was believed that the shortened season due to COVID-19 affected the player’s rhythm. But looking at his performance after that, it wasn’t just a rhythm problem.
Bumgarner started 56 games over two years from 2021 to 2022 and recorded only 14 wins, 25 losses, and an average ERA of 4.78. Even though he was not that old, his velocity showed no signs of recovery. Hitters no longer feared Bumgarner’s commanding four-seamer and cutter. This year was the worst. In his first four games, he had three losses and an ERA of 10.26, his worst performance.
Precipitation fell here in Arizona. Bumgarner was suddenly released to make room for pitchers coming up from the minor league. Even though he had a contract until 2024, he had to pay all remaining salary and was simply removed from the roster.
The fact that Bumgarner’s skills are on the decline, that trade is difficult, and that Arizona also has young pitchers that need to be used were all taken into consideration. The general opinion of the local media is that Bumgarner’s personality, which was not amicable with the Arizona front office, may have been the final blow. The Arizona front office wanted to perform general ‘surgery’, including correction of pitching form, to revive Bumgarner’s lost pitch. Bumgarner lost his temper and cut off all ties with them. He was an uncomfortable cohabitation.카지노
What’s even more surprising is that not a single team has reached out to Bumgarner since May. Bumgarner couldn’t throw, so he was playing even before he was released. There wasn’t anything serious wrong with his body. In addition, Arizona will cover all salaries until next year. There was not much financial loss. Still, considering his career of 134 wins in the major leagues and his young age of 34, there was a possibility that there would be at least one team that would take him, but they all ignored him.
With mention of Bumgarner now completely gone even in the local media, it is analyzed that various factors, such as his declining skills and friction with the front office, are influencing the selection of other clubs. If so, it can be assumed that not many teams will select Bumgarner, who has not pitched in the major leagues for more than six months, next year. If this continues, we may not receive a chance to do so in 2024. You get older by one year. The name Bumgarner may disappear into vain on the stage of the big leagues.