Harold Reynolds explains why he loves MLB’s new rules
MLB Network commentator and 2x All-Star Harold Reynolds tells us why he loves the new rules implemented by the league this season.
Sports Seriously, USA TODAY
PHOENIX – If this was another rebuilding year for the Arizona Diamondbacks…
If they had gotten off to another rotten start …
If they believed they were still years away from even contending ….
The painful, and quite costly decision, is never made.
But this is a new year. A different team performing so surprisingly well that it convinced the front office and ownership that it was time to move on.
The D-backs dumped veteran Madison Bumgarner, their highest-paid player on Thursday, believing their best chance to make a postseason run is by having him off the roster.
The D-backs, who gave Bumgarner a five-year, $85 million contract three years ago, designated him for assignment with $34 million still left on his deal.
It will go down as one of the worst decisions in D-backs history, right alongside the Paul Goldschmidt trade and Bob Melvin firing, but there was no reason to compound the disastrous signing, not with the D-backs getting off to a surprising 11-8 start and leading the NL West.
“Where we’re standing right now requires a sense of urgency,’’ Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen said. “It’s going to be like this at the [trade] deadline too, because these guys are playing really hard and well. They deserve this. They deserve to see us putting in that same degree of urgency.’’
The D-backs considering releasing Bumgarner back in spring training, but felt that he deserved time to see if he showed any improvement.
Instead, it only proved that if they are serious about winning, he could no longer be in the rotation.
He was 0-3 with a 10.26 ERA in four starts this year after finishing last season with a 7.12 ERA in his final 10 starts.
He gave up seven hits and seven runs in three innings in the D-backs’ 14-5 loss Wednesday to St. Louis, with his velocity dipping to 89 mph.
Simply, this was not the same Bumgarner who became legendary in San Francisco, winning three World Series titles and going 119-92 with a 3.13 ERA.
He went 15-32 with a 5.23 ERA with the Diamondbacks, never winning more than seven games in a season.
So, what happened?
“I don’t know,’’ said Hazen, who informed Bumgarner of the decision Wednesday night. “I just don’t know. Frankly, we’ve all lost a lot of sleep over trying to answer that question.
“It just didn’t work out.’’
The Diamondbacks will now turn to left-hander Tommy Henry to replace Bumgarner. Henry, 25, is now one of three starters in the D-backs rotation who has pitched less than 50 innings. The D-backs also have prized prospect Brandon Pfaadt at Triple-A Reno, and is expected to be called up this season.
But Thursday, the message was sent loud and clear.
It’s time to win now.
“I ask our players and staff to have urgency,’’ Hazen said, “so I have to do the same thing. I can’t be asked for that and not do it in my job.’’
So Hazen recommended to ownership that Bumgarner should be designated for assignment, and it was approved Wednesday night, despite owed $23 million this season.
“Frankly, at the end, I was told to do what needs to be done to win baseball games,’’ Hazen said. “That’s the message I got when we started having these conversations. You need to do what you need to do to win baseball games.
“This is something that’s been going on. I’m not blind to what’s been happening. We got to a point where we had to make this decision.
“It hasn’t worked out for him. It hasn’t worked out for us.’’
