Dodgers: Should LA sign Madison Bumgarner or Hyun-Jin Ryu?

Why the Dodgers should consider a former enemy

Imagining Madison Bumgarner in a Dodger uniform would’ve been some kind of horror story a few years ago but it actually has a chance to happen now with the Giants’ ace looking for a new home.  Bumgarner is friends with Clayton Kershaw so although he seems to be an odd fit from a rivalry standpoint, MadBum should have no problems fitting in with the Dodger locker room.

Why would the Dodgers have interest in Bumgarner who posted a career-worst ERA of 3.90 in 2019?  MadBum’s fastball spin rate increased in 2019 while his fastball velocity also increased from 90.8 MPH in 2018 to 91.4 MPH in 2019.  Bumgarner has never been a hard thrower like Kershaw was in his younger days but he has a full repertoire of pitches including a very good changeup so he can still be effective as his velocity decreases.

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The main attraction of bringing in Bumgarner is his postseason success.  MadBum is one of the greatest postseason pitchers ever and led the Giants to three World Series titles this decade.  The last time he pitched in the postseason came back in 2016 and he made two starts while pitching to an ERA of 1.93.  We all know the Dodgers could use another starting pitcher who performs well in the postseason and that is exactly what Bumgarner does.

Madison Bumgarner has a lot of wear and tear on his left arm but he is still only thirty years old.  His going rate is likely to be four to five years so his contract would end around the same age that Ryu’s would if the Dodgers signed him to a three-year contract.  Aside from a self-induced injury while dirt biking, Bumgarner has been very durable throughout his career and is a lock for 200 plus innings a season.

Given that the Dodgers have several young starters and Kenta Maeda who tends to not pitch very deep into games, the Dodgers could use another innings eater like MadBum.  The Dodgers really couldn’t go wrong if they choose to sign Ryu or Bumgarner but Bumgarner’s postseason track record is very intriguing.  Add in that he is not an injury risk like Ryu and it’s time for the Dodgers to change things up a bit and do the unimaginable: sign Madison Bumgarner.