Report: Padres are in mix for Trevor Bauer

The San Diego Padres are on the upswing, and now they appear to have their eyes on the top free agent pitcher on the market.

Baseball writer Dan Federico reported Monday that the Padres are emerging as an early suitor for Trevor Bauer. Federico notes Bauer’s close relationship with Padres righty Mike Clevinger, his former Cleveland Indians teammate.

The 29-year-old Bauer just led the National League with an immaculate 1.73 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP for the Cincinnati Reds, albeit in the shortened 2020 season. The Padres, meanwhile, made it to the NLDS this year after many consecutive seasons of losing baseball. They still lack a reliable top of the rotation though, Clevinger aside.

Bauer and Clevinger do have a fairly tight friendship, perhaps aided in no small part by their mutual hatred of the Houston Astros.