The good and bad of Madison Bumgarner joining the Colorado Rockies

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 30: Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the top of the first inning of a Major League Baseball game at Oracle Park on June 30, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

You won’t find a list of the top pitchers this decade that does not include San Francisco Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner. Aside from Clayton Kershaw, Bumgarner has arguably been the most dominant left-handed pitcher in the National League the last 10 years.

He has made himself into an icon in San Francisco, most notably with his legendary performance in the Giants’ 2014 World Series run, winning both NLCS MVP and World Series MVP. That being said, it is growing more and more likely that Bumgarner will not finish 2019 in a Giants’ uniform.

With the Colorado Rockies in desperate need of starting pitching help, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of bringing MadBum to Colorado.

The benefits of bringing in Bumgarner are pretty obvious. He’s finished 11th or higher in Cy Young voting in five different seasons and established himself as one of the most reliable starting pitchers in the game.

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As noted above, Bumgarner has extensive playoff experience and, more importantly, has a track record of success in the postseason, carrying a career 2.11 ERA in the playoffs.

As evidenced by his personal feuds with players like Yasiel Puig and Max Muncy, Bumgarner is a fierce competitor and a bit of a throwback to an older brand of baseball. Along those same lines, since the Giants have a long-standing rivalry with the Dodgers, Bumgarner already has plenty of animosity built up against Colorado’s arch-nemesis so he should fit right in.

Bumgarner has also pitched well against L.A., recording a 2.72 ERA in 36 games, including a 2.67 ERA in 22 games at Dodger Stadium.

The Giants’ ace would also bring some competition at the plate for last season’s pitching Silver Slugger German Marquez as Bumgarner has two such awards himself to go along with 18 home runs and 61 RBI.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 04: Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the New York Mets during the first inning at Citi Field on June 04, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) /

Now on to the cons of a Bumgarner deal. First off, intradivisional trades are rare as neither team wants to get beat by their former players. This would be especially be true in Colorado’s case as the kind of prospect haul it would take to outbid a team like the Yankees would help San Francisco win games for years to come.

This would be especially troubling considering Bumgarner would potentially be a rental player since his contract is up after this season.

Another interesting statistic about Bumgarner are his home-road splits. While Rockies fans are tired of hearing about home-road splits when it comes to hitters at Coors Field, we rarely hear the same conversations about pitchers in pitcher-friendly ballparks like AT&T/Oracle Park.

Nonetheless, Bumgarner seems to have received a considerable bump in his numbers from pitching half his games in San Francisco. His career ERA at home is 2.76 while his career ERA on the road is 3.42. Obviously, Bumgarner is still a very good pitcher on the road. However, he hasn’t been quite as good in his career as he has been at home.

It’s also worth noting that Bumgarner has not had the best numbers at Coors Field in his career. His 4.33 ERA and 1.45 WHIP at Denver are well above what he produced in San Francisco. That doesn’t mean Bumgarner would pitch poorly for the Rockies. However, it does mean that the Rockies could end up getting a return considerably below what they paid for.

As noted earlier, Bumgarner is a fierce competitor and has what it takes mentally to take on Coors Field but the question of potential versus reality is yet to be answered.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 06: Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants is looked at by head athletic trainer Dave Groeschnerat and manager Bruce Bochy after he was hit by a line drive hit by Jose Martinez #38 of the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning Oracle Park on July 06, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

One last concern with Bumgarner is his health. He hasn’t pitched 30 games since 2016 and only reached 20 once (21 in 2018). While Bumgarner has managed to pitch in 19 games already this season, he did leave his last start with a left elbow injury, leaving a lot of question marks surrounding the rest of his season as well as his trade value.

Whether impacted by his health or not, Bumgarner’s production has dipped in recent years. He posted four consecutive seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA from 2013-2016, concluding with a career-low 2.74 in 2016. Since then, he has posted ERAs of 3.32 in 2017, 3.26 in 2018, and 4.03 so far in 2019.

Additionally, from 2014-2016, Bumgarner posted three consecutive seasons with four complete games, totaling 12 over that span including five shutouts. Since then he has totaled just one complete game (in 2017) and no shutouts over the last three seasons.

Could a change of scenery to a younger team in the midst of a playoff hunt trigger a mini-revival for Bumgarner? Absolutely. Just look at the Justin Verlander trade to the Houston Astros in 2017.

Next. Is Nolan Arenado eyeing the 2020 Home Run Derby?. dark

Bumgarner is only 29 and has plenty of baseball ahead of him. However, the Rockies will have to ask themselves if he is worth the risk and the price tag he comes with.

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You won’t find a list of the top pitchers this decade that does not include San Francisco Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner. Aside from Clayton Kershaw, Bumgarner has arguably been the most dominant left-handed pitcher in the National League the last 10 years.

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