MLB Rumors: More details on Madison Bumgarner's release from the Diamondbacks
Madison Bumgarner was let go in May after a series of tough starts with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite his name brand and price tag, Bumgarner was doing more harm than good in the D'Backs rotation.
Bumgarner is not the pitcher he once was, but he's surely better than his 10-plus ERA might suggest. Per The Athletic, there was plenty going on behind the scenes which led to Bumgarner's downfall in Arizona.
When pressed on his release, Bumgarner refused to give much detail.
"I definitely can," Bumgarner told The Athletic's Zach Buchanan, "but I'm not going to throw anybody under the bus."
From an outsider's perspective, the disconnect between Bumgarner and the D'Backs is simple: A fresh start was needed thanks to a difference in opinion.
Bumgarner prefers to have scouting reports delivered to him prior to each start. That job used to be handled by former big-league pitcher Dan Haren. However, for whatever reason, that model for improvement stopped in the middle of Bumgarner's tenure. He wasn't happy, and Arizona hasn't shied away from that fact.
"A lot of times, highly successful people are resistant to change, and this was a highly successful guy," Arizona pitching coach Brent Strom told reporters. "Perhaps the changes I tried to make and introduce and this and that, it just didn't take. We had an amicable divorce."
It's tough to consider that divorce amicable, as one side ultimately made the decision. Nonetheless, it's been a few weeks and Bumgarner has yet to find a new home. That's more telling than anything listed above.
MLB Rumors: Where does Aaron Hicks go from here?
The New York Yankees designated Aaron Hicks for assignment over the weekend. While he had three hits in his second-to-last outing in New York, there wasn't a role for him with the Bronx Bombers and ultimately, he's better off signing elsewhere. The Yankees will eat over $27 million in the process thanks to a bad extension handed out by Brian Cashman.
When Hicks is allowed to sign with any team, a few do stand out as potential suitors. FanSided's Kevin Henry listed the Padres, Marlins and Twins over the weekend. Minnesota arguably makes the most sense, as they've already taken on one former Yankees reject in Joey Gallo, which has been a successful pairing:
"It's possible for Hicks, who might slot in nicely in center field, an area where the Twins are hoping to minimize the chance for injury to Byron Buxton by penciling him in as designated hitter when they can. However, even with Buxton patrolling center field, the Twins are tied for next-to-last among all MLB clubs in center field bWAR at minus-0.4."
Considering Buxton's injury history, having Hicks play in center field, where he is an above-average defender, makes some sense. Hicks may never have the best offensive statistics, especially if he picks up where he left off in New York. Still, he's better than the .188/.263/.261 slash line his baseball-reference page suggests.
With the pressure off in a smaller market, don't be surprised to see Hicks pop up somewhere rather quickly.
MLB Rumors: Christopher Morel proves the Cubs wrong
Christopher Morel has eight home runs in 11 games for the Cubs. He has been about the only thing to go right for Chicago in a recent tough stretch, proving both the pundits and even his own manager wrong in the process.
Just after Morel's promotion to the bigs, David Ross questioned whether or not he would be an everyday player. Given where the Cubs were in the standings at that time, few blinked an eye.
Now that Morel's hot streak has taken full effect, he's given the Cubs no choice but to play him. Chicago hitting coach Dustin Kelly still has a simple message for fans — enjoy if while it lasts.
"Christopher is far from a finished product when it comes to plate discipline and what he understands that he can handle," Kelly said, per the Chicago Tribune. "We're never going to take the aggressiveness away from him. You have to live with the swing and miss for him. … As he gets more comfortable, he's going to get better and better at eliminating pitches."
That same aggressiveness could lead to Morel's downfall, or Chicago is still underestimating the corner infielder. More is tied with Freddie Freeman, Juan Soto, Willy Adames, Teoscar Hernández in home runs despite playing just a third of the games.
Morel is young, and he's fun. He could be a sign of things to come in the Windy City, or Cubs fans sure hope so.
