Trevor Bauer has certainly proven himself to be an eccentric fellow, and now that includes his business practices as well.
Speaking this week on the Yahoo! Sports MLB Podcast with Jeff Passan, Bauer revealed that he will only ever sign one-year contracts, never a long-term deal. The reason? He bet with a friend that if he ever inks a multi-year contract, the friend gets to shoot him in the groin with a paintball gun from ten feet away.
Here is the clip (but beware of some foul language):
Trevor Bauer says he's never signing a long-term deal. Only one-year contracts.
Why? Turns out he made a bet with a friend: If he ever signs a multi-year deal, the friend gets to shoot him in the nuts with a paintball gun from 10 feet away.
Full podcast: https://t.co/hvN9x1gPKo pic.twitter.com/9l3z7PHLGz
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 6, 2018
The 27-year-old Bauer, who holds a record of 8-6 with a 2.45 ERA and 156 strikeouts this season, will be entering his third year of arbitration this winter. He then can become a free agent after the 2020 campaign.
If such a bet indeed exists, it’s obviously a strange move for Bauer to handicap his earning potential and his long-term security over the sake of something so petty. While the right-hander is definitely not one to do things by the book, at some point, he may just have to bite the bullet, sign a multi-year deal, and take it on the chin (or on … another body part).
