Rapid Reactions: Madison Bumgarner heading to Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks were the latest team to jump on the free agent market by signing LHP Madison Bumgarner.

The team reportedly agreed to a 5-year, $85 million deal to bring the ace to the Valley.

Bumgarner has spent his entire MLB career with the San Francisco Giants, but he elected free agency at the end of the 2019 season.

Here are the reactions from the 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station staff on the signing of the ace:

Tyler Drake, Web Content Editor

What a day for the Arizona D-backs.

Madison Bumgarner heads to the Valley, taking with him a few World Series titles and a win-now mentality for Arizona.

Not only did they get their guy, Mike Hazen and Co. did it for $15 million under the asking price, a win-win for the Snakes.

I’m not sure the ace will be in Arizona for the full five years, but it jump-starts an organization desperate to get back into the postseason.

Remember that bat and arm they lost at the trade deadline? That’s been filled ten-fold.

Dave Burns, co-host of Burns & Gambo

When the news first came down of the D-backs’ interest in Bumgarner, it felt like a present you ask for knowing you’ll never get it.

Well Merry Christmas. And Happy Hanukkah.

It stood to reason that Bumgarner’s contract would be well beyond the D-backs’ means to afford such a purchase. Whether it was a cool marketplace for his services or his reported love of Arizona, it doesn’t matter now. From the moment his name came up it made so much sense to me.

The D-backs’ rotation is deep but not top-heavy. Bumgarner fixes that. And while I worry that by year four of the deal Bumgarner will be overpaid and starting to wear down, what he brings in the short term is worth the trade-off, especially at that cost.

Robbie Ray can now be moved – preferably for an outfielder – saving 10 million bucks or so in the process. And if it’s money you’re worried about… don’t. Next year’s salary commitments are so sparse the D-backs could afford to spend a little more this year.

Mostly, I love it because I’m a big believer in Mike Hazen and this deal is his first flexing some financial muscle he hasn’t had the last few years.

Vince Marotta, co-host of Bickley & Marotta

Just when you thought the lack of action by Mike Hazen during the Winter Meetings in San Diego was leading to a quiet offseason by the Diamondbacks, bam!

Arizona’s GM nabbed Madison Bumgarner on a five-year deal worth $85 million with $15 million deferred.

After hearing reports that the D-backs had interest, but only if Bumgarner was willing to settle for less than $100 million over the course of a deal, you had to figure that the lefty’s price tag would be bigger.

And considering that just over four years ago, the previous D-backs’ regime spent $206.5 million on Zack Greinke — a great pitcher, but two years older than Bumgarner is right now — this has the makings of a major coup.

Especially if Bumgarner’s healthy 2019 is a harbinger of things to come following two injury-plagued seasons limited him to a total of 38 starts in 2017 and 2018.

And as Zack Buchanan of The Athletic pointed out on Twitter, the D-backs signing Bumgarner has created scarcity in the market for lefty hurlers, meaning Hazen could turn around and deal Robbie Ray for more than he could have just one week ago.

Hazen and his staff are among baseball’s elite, and it’s impossible not to be incredibly optimistic about the future of this franchise.

How many days until pitchers and catchers report?

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