Former World Series Hero Isn't Retired, Could Reportedly Come Back This Summer

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, former San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks star Madison Bumgarner is thinking about a return to the diamond this summer.

From Nightengale:

Former World Series hero Madison Bumgarner, who was released last April and is still earning $14 million from the Arizona Diamondbacks this season, told friends that he’s contemplating a potential return this summer. 

Though he has a lot of innings under his belt in his career, Bumgarner is still just 34 years old, so he could still have something left to give.

One of the best pitchers of his generation, Bumgarner is already a 15-year veteran who spent 11 years with the Giants and four with the Diamondbacks. Having made his major league debut at the age of 19, he is a four-time All-Star and a three-time World Series champion. 

Lifetime, he's 134-124 with a 3.47 ERA. He signed an $85 million contract with the Diamondbacks before the 2020 season and went just 15-32 with Arizona.

Because of the shakiness of his most recent production and the amount of innings he's thrown (2,209.1) in his career, it's understandable why teams haven't been reaching out just yet. However, as the season wears on and injuries take hold around the league, it wouldn't be a shock to see someone try to bring Bumgarner in to patch a rotation hole.

Furthermore, Bumgarner could try to chase another ring by latching on with a contender later this summer - especially if he was willing to work out of the bullpen.