Diamondbacks non-committal on Madison Bumgarner's future with team

Madison Bumgarner's future with the Arizona Diamondbacks appears uncertain after another rough outing by the veteran pitcher.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo offered a non-committal response when asked about the franchise's plan for Bumgarner, whose ERA ballooned to 10.26 with Wednesday's loss to the Cardinals.

«I don't know,» Lovullo told reporters. «I don't know. As we do with every situation after every start, we group up as a staff and then sit down with the front office and figure out what to do next.

»That's what we're gonna end up doing.… The staff will sit down and figure out what's going to give us the best option in five days. We do the same thing after every start, and we'll do that again."

Bumgarner lasted just three innings in Arizona's 14-5 loss in St. Louis, yielding seven earned runs on seven hits and four walks. He allowed five batted balls with an exit velocity of at least 100 mph.

Bumgarner fell to 0-3 this season and has yielded 19 earned runs in just 16 2/3 innings over four starts. The four-time All-Star's average fastball velocity this season is just 89.5 mph, a drop from his 91.2 mph average in 2022.

«I wish I had some kind of answers,» Bumgarner told reporters. «Not that I'm not gonna look for them — I'm gonna look for them. But right now, I don't have any for you guys. I wish I did. But I don't.»

Bumgarner, 33, will make $23 million this season, the fourth year of his five-year, $85 million deal with the Diamondbacks. The left-hander is set to make $14 million in 2024.

General manager Mike Hazen said last month's that Bumgarner's salary would not impact his role, emphasizing that the Diamondbacks «need to win baseball games.»

«We've never been asked to make decisions based on money or