ARLINGTON, Texas - The Arizona Diamondbacks' highest-paid player, Madison Bumgarner, will not be taking the field in the 2023 World Series. Despite signing an $85 million contract with the D-backs in 2020, the 33-year-old pitcher was designated for assignment on April 20 after struggling with a 10.26 ERA in four starts.

With Bumgarner not on the roster, he remains the highest-paid player on the Diamondbacks, earning a salary of $23 million for the 2023 season. Second baseman Ketel Marte holds the second-highest salary on the team, earning $11.6 million.

Bumgarner's tenure with the San Francisco Giants, where he won three World Series under the guidance of manager Bruce Bochy, created a close relationship between the two. Prior to the Texas Rangers' Game 7 showdown with the Houston Astros, Bumgarner reached out to Bochy with a light-hearted offer to pitch for his former manager one more time, as reported by ESPN's Buster Olney.

"In the hours before another Game 7 for Bruce Bochy today, he got a text from Madison Bumgarner, offering to pitch," Olney revealed.

Although Bumgarner won't be taking the mound in the World Series, his past successes and championship experience will likely continue to earn him recognition in the baseball community. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks will need their other players to step up and perform at their best as they strive for success in the ongoing season.

As the 2023 World Series unfolds, fans and analysts alike will closely watch the performances of the teams vying for baseball's ultimate prize, while Madison Bumgarner's absence serves as a reminder that even the highest-paid players aren't guaranteed a spot in the postseason.