One would assume that after being traded by the Twins on May 2 that Matt Bowman was more than a little surprised to find himself in a Saints uniform over Fourth of July weekend. Not so, the veteran reliever said on Saturday prior to the Saints’ 4-1 loss to the Gwinnett Stripers at CHS Field. “I really enjoyed my time here,” Bowman said, “and when they jettisoned me, they made it clear that they’d love to have me back.
So it was always in the back of my mind. I left my car here, I left a bunch of my stuff here. “So somewhere in my mind I knew maybe I would come back.
” The 33-year-old Bowman has pitched for six major league teams since breaking in with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016. The Twins signed him to a minor league contract in January and he began the season with the Saints.
He was called up by the Twins on April 13 and made five appearances before being designated for assignment on April 30. Bowman was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, only to be designated for assignment again three weeks later. After clearing waivers, he declined joining Arizona’s Triple-A team and became a free agent.
Bowman signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners on June 4 and was called up to the majors five days later. Two days after that, he was designated for assignment once again and opted for free agency. This time, however, he elected to sign a new minor league deal with the Mariners.
On July 1, he elected to use his opt-out clause and became a free agent. .