San Francisco Giants Extend Madison Bumgarner Through 2017

22-year-old lefty Madison Bumgarner has agreed to a five-year extension that will keep him in the San Francisco Giants black and orange through 2017, according to MLB.com. If certain club options vest, Bumgarner's contract could extend him into 2019. 

Brian Sabean issued a statement on the signing, which breaks a record for the largest contract ever signed by a player with one-plus years of MLB service:

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Preserving our core pitching for the long term remains a top priority for the Giants and today's extension certainly helps further that goal... Madison has already proven that he is one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game today and we are confident that he will continue to succeed for many years to come.

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Bumgarner's new deal guarantees him $35 million through five years, which covers the pitcher through his three seasons of arbitration eligibility. "MadBum" will anchor a rotation that will also feature Matt Cain, who recently signed a record-breaking extension of his own. 

After being drafted by the Giants 10th overall in the first round of the 2007 draft, Bumgarner became San Francisco's youngest pitcher to start a game in his major league debut since the Giants switched coasts in 1958.

SFGiants notes that later that season "he became the fifth-youngest pitcher to start a World Series game and the fourth-youngest to win a World Series contest at 21 years and 91 days old."

As MLBTradeRumors points out, Bumgarner made 18 regular season starts in 2010, plus three starts in the playoffs. In his sophomore season, he posted a 3.21 ERA to go with an 8.4 K/9, 2.0BB/9 and 46 percent ground ball rate in 204 2/3 innings pitched. Those numbers ranked him 11th in the National League for ERA and third among NL lefties for K/9 ratio (behind only Clayton Kershaw and Cliff Lee).