‘Arm Fatigue’ Sends Arizona’s Madison Bumgarner For Testing

In baseball circles, the wisdom of signing pitchers to long-term contracts is always debatable.

Oft-injured Stephen Strasburg has given the Washington Nationals a 1-4 record and only eight starts since signing a seven-year, $245 million contract to keep him from leaving via free agency.

Chris Sale has been on and off the injured list, making only 11 starts over the last two years, since the Boston Red Sox acquired him from the Chicago White Sox and signed him to a five-year, $145 million extension on Mar. 23, 2019.

Even Justin Verlander, on the heels of his third Cy Young Award, was sidelined before he threw a regular-season pitch for the 2023 New York Mets after signing a two-year pact that pays him $43.3 million a year – tied with teammate Max Scherzer for the highest annual average salary in baseball history.

Now we can add Madison Bumgarner to that list. After pitching the San Francisco Giants to three world championships, the 33-year-old left-hander suddenly lost his touch after signing a five-year, $85 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He yielded five runs in four innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers in his first start this season and told manager Torey Lovullo that he had a tired arm.

MadBum was sent back to Arizona to undergo tests that may determine a course of treatment, though a stint on the 15-day injured list is likely.

The four-time All-Star has gone 15-30 with a bloated 5.06 earned run average since starting his career with the D’backs in 2020. His record with the Giants was 119-92 with a 3.44 ERA during the regular season and 8-3 with a 2.11 ERA in 12 post-season games.

His World Series mark is 4-0 and 0.25, statistics that helped him win MVP honors in 2014, the same year he was also voted MVP of the National League Championship Series.

The 6-4, 240-pound southpaw from North Carolina was San Francisco’s top amateur draft choice in 2007. He got his first taste of the majors two years later.

In addition to his pitching ability, Bumgarner was also known for his bat before the National League adopted the designated hitter rule permanently last year. He was the only pitcher ever to hit two home runs on Opening Day. He owns two Silver Sluggers, given annually to the best hitter at each position.

Although Bumgarner has never won a Cy Young Award, he was among the top four vote-getters for the pitching trophy three years in a row from 2014-16. A true workhorse, he has twice led the NL in starts and once led in complete games.

If the Diamondbacks hope to move up in a division dominated by the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, they not only need Bumgarner to be healthy but to regain his former form.

Arizona ended last season with a 74-88 record, 37 games behind the front-running Dodgers. The team last won a pennant in 2001, when it also won the only world championship in team history.