The New York Yankees are playing well for the most part so far in 2023. The Tampa Bay Rays' incredibly hot start has overshadowed their performance, but New York has held their own despite a plethora of injuries. The Yankees' pitching rotation has been especially plagued by the injury bug. Although the name Madison Bumgarner won't excite Yankees fans at this point in his career, signing him could make sense for New York.
The Arizona Diamondbacks recently designated Bumgarner, who struggled mightily with AZ, for assignment. The unfortunate reality for Bumgarner is there's a chance that no team will pick him up amid his brutal performance on the mound. The four-time All-Star owns a lackluster 10.26 ERA through 16.2 innings pitched this season with the Diamondbacks, per Baseball Reference.
So why would the Yankees even consider signing him?
Yankees need pitching depth
Carlos Rodon, Luis Severino, and Frankie Montas are among the Yankees' starting pitchers who've dealt with injury concerns in 2023. Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes have led the charge for the pitching staff, while the rest of the rotation has been filled out with Clarke Schmidt, Domingo German, and Jhony Brito.
The Yankees could rely on other starting pitchers waiting in the minor leagues, but taking a chance on a veteran with a proven track record is worth the risk. Why? The risk wouldn't be all that high, as New York could sign him to either a minor league deal or minimal one-year MLB contract. If Bumgarner were to continue to struggle, it wouldn't hurt the Yankees all that much.
Perhaps, however, a fresh start could lead to a revamped performance from Madison Bumgarner. He likely won't pitch at an All-Star level like he once did, but leaving Arizona could lead to improved results.
Some people will argue that joining a big market team like the Yankees wouldn't be the best decision for Bumgarner. However, that wouldn't be much of an issue for the left-hander.
Madison Bumgarner makes sense in New York
The San Francisco media and New York media are very different. Both the Giants and Yankees have passionate fanbases though. When Bumgarner pitched for the Giants from 2009-2019, the Giants received plenty of attention. They won three World Series championships during that span and were one of the most talked about teams in baseball from 2010-2014.
Bumgarner wasn't fazed by the attention by any means, often saving his best performance for the postseason. He's a fringe Hall of Famer based on his regular season results, but Bumgarner will be remembered as one of the best postseason pitchers ever.
This all leads to an argument that Madison Bumgarner makes sense for New York.
If he labors, the Yankees fans will let him hear it, just ask Joey Gallo or Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Bumgarner will likely be able to handle the fans and media though. His previous experience and mentality suits him well for this environment.
Will the Yankees sign Madison Bumgarner?
There haven't been many reports in regards to Madison Bumgarner's future with the exception of a few rumors. At the moment, it is unclear what the next step in his career will be. Retirement probably isn't off the table, but he still may want to pitch if given an opportunity.
It wouldn't be shocking to see the Yankees display interest in him. A deal isn't guaranteed to happen, but it will be something to monitor moving forward.
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