Giants legend MadBum contemplating MLB return
Giants legend MadBum contemplating MLB return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
After Pablo Sandoval's return, could another Giants World Series hero make an MLB comeback during the 2024 season?
Madison Bumgarner -- unceremoniously released by the Arizona Diamondbacks in April 2023 -- told friends he's contemplating a potential return during the 2024 MLB season, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported on Sunday.
Bumgarner -- who turns 35 years old in August -- still is owed $14 million from the Diamondbacks in 2024 as part of the five-year $85 million contract he signed with Arizona before the 2020 MLB season.
During his final campaign with the Diamondbacks in 2023, Bumgarner posted an 0-3 record with a 10.26 ERA in four starts before being released.
The southpaw made his MLB debut for the Giants at just 19 years old, spending 11 seasons in San Francisco where he won three World Series trophies and cemented himself as one of the most dominant playoff performers in baseball history.
The 34-year-old won at least one game in each of the Giants' World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014, posting a remarkable 4-0 record with a 0.25 ERA in 36 career innings in the Fall Classic.
Bumgarner's 2014 MLB playoff run is among the greatest postseason pitching performances of all time, including an unprecedented five-inning save in the Giants' gut-wrenching 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals in Game 7.
The former Giants' ace took home 2014 World Series MVP honors after posting a 2-0 record with a 0.43 ERA in 21 innings of work where he was only responsible for a single earned run.
Adding further to Bumgarner's legendary World Series performance is that it came against a Royals team that had not lost a single game during the 2024 MLB playoffs before the World Series.
Kansas City posted a remarkable 11-1 record in games it did not face Bumgarner during its 2014 playoff run, with the 0-3 blemish in three contests against the Giants' ace ultimately being what kept the Royals from winning the World Series that season.
Bumgarner's playoff brilliance isn't exclusive to 2014, with the lefty posting an incredible 8-3 record with a 2.11 ERA in 102.1 career postseason innings.
While his glory days appear behind him, Bumgarner still could provide value as a left-handed option with a tremendous wealth of experience across 15 MLB seasons.
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