Trevor Bauer announced on Friday that he has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and it sounds like he turned down a more lucrative offer from another team.
Bauer’s deal with the Dodgers is worth $102 million over three years. His salary will be $40 million in 2021 and $45 million in 2022 but drop to $17 million in 2023. The contract gives Bauer the ability to opt out after Year 1 or Year 2, so it will in all likelihood end up being a two-year, $85 million deal.
According to multiple reports, the New York Mets were willing to offer more. Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Mets offered Bauer roughly $110 million over three seasons with similar opt outs. ESPN’s Jeff Passan also reported that the Mets offered a higher overall value.
Bauer grew up in Santa Clarita, Calif., so he ultimately chose his hometown team. New Mets owner Steve Cohen has made it clear that he is willing to spend big this offseason, so he almost certainly would have outbid the Dodgers if Bauer gave him the option.
When you hear what Bauer said previously about his contract situation, the structure of the deal he agreed to makes sense. The fact that he took it from the Dodgers should make the rest of Major League Baseball feel a bit deflated.
