Why Willson Contreras beef was the last straw for Madison Bumgarner in Arizona

The verbal spat between Willson Contreras and Madison Bumgarner was the last straw for the left-hander in Arizona, as he was DFA’d on Thursday.

On Thursday morning, just hours after his worst outing of the 2023 season that involved a verbal spat with St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, left-handed pitcher Madison Bumgarner was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Bumgarner, 33, had signed a five-year, $85 million deal with the Diamondbacks in 2020. He is still owed about $20.4 million the remainder of the 2023 season and $14 million in 2024. If he clears waivers, and he is fully expected to, the Diamondbacks would be on the hook for the remainder of the deal while Bumgarner will be eligible to sign with another team for $720,000, the league minimum.

But how did we get to this point?

How Cardinals, Willson Contreras were last straw for Madison Bumgarner with Diamondbacks

When the Diamondbacks signed Bumgarner, he was supposed to headline their rotation and give them an established frontline starter. Instead, he posted a 6.48 ERA in nine starts in 2020. He then posted 4.67 and 4.88 ERAs the following two seasons. In 2023, he had a 10.26 ERA in his first four starts, and his fastball velocity averaged a mere 89.5 mph, almost two mph slower than 2022.

With the Diamondbacks in first place in the National League West, and the team prioritizing a transition to its young core, general manager Mike Hazen and the front office determined that now was the best time to move on from Bumgarner. His verbal spat, which featured yelling expletives at Contreras, was certainly the icing on the cake.

But this move was a long time coming for Bumgarner and the Diamondbacks. The only surprise is that it came this early in the season — and it allows the organization to move forward with its young pieces, while allowing Bumgarner a chance to latch on with a different team.