The New York Mets are considered one of the favorites to sign Trevor Bauer, and they are prepared to give the star pitcher the highest salary in MLB history.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported on Tuesday that the Mets have made Bauer a formal offer. While the offer does not exceed the total value of the nine-year, $324 million contract Gerrit Cole signed with the New York Yankees last year, the average annual value is higher than Cole’s $36 million.
Bauer may not be looking for anything close to the length of Cole’s contract, as he previously said he will only sign one-year deals throughout his career. He has since backed down from that, but it is reasonable to assume he would prefer a shorter contract than the one Cole signed with the Yankees.
Nightengale notes that the Mets are evaluating “all aspects of Bauer’s strong social media presence,” as they are very conscious about their image in the wake of ex-GM Jared Porter’s sexual harassment scandal and firing. Bauer is known for speaking his mind, and he got into it with a female college student on Twitter two years ago. The student said she felt harassed by Bauer, and Bauer later apologized.
While several teams are keeping an eye on Bauer, it sounds like the Mets may be competing with one other team to sign the right-hander.
Bauer is the best pitcher on the free agent market. The reigning NL Cy Young winner posted a 1.73 ERA for the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, striking out 100 in 73 innings.
