There has been lots of movement on the MLB Hot Stove this week, but Trevor Bauer has yet to choose a team. There is no indication when that might happen, but there is some talk about who will be involved in his bidding.
MLB reporter Jon Heyman tweeted Thursday that the race for Bauer could come down to the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, unless a mystery team emerges.
A different reporter last week suggested it would be the Mets and Los Angeles’ other baseball team.
The Dodgers are not believed to be interested in a long-term deal for a pitcher and would prefer a shorter-term deal. The Mets would probably have the edge if they were willing to go longer for the 30-year-old ace.
So far, the Mets’ offer for Bauer reportedly is for four years or less, and lower than an annual average of $36 million.
Bauer is the reigning NL Cy Young winner. He posted a 1.73 ERA for the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, striking out 100 in 73 innings.
The New York Mets have money to spend in free agency, and they could be ready to use it on Trevor Bauer.
The Mets made a formal contract offer for the free agent ace. The offer reportedly would set a record for average annual value.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale also says that the Mets are the “favorites” to land Bauer.
Bauer previously was committed to signing nothing longer than a 1-year contract. His stance has since changed.
Now 30, Bauer is the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner. He posted a 1.73 ERA for the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, striking out 100 in 73 innings. Bauer earned $17.5 million last season.
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.
The market for free agent pitcher Trevor Bauer appears to be heating up, but two teams may be at the forefront of it.
According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the New York Mets and Los Angeles Angels are believed to be the teams with the best shot at Bauer at this time. The Mets, backed by new owner Steve Cohen’s financial backing, are a serious threat, and could pair Bauer with Jacob deGrom at the top of their rotation. The Angels are in need of a No. 1 starter, and Bauer is a Southern California native who would be returning home by signing there.
That’s not to say there are no other teams in the running. The Angels aren’t the only team from Southern California paying attention to Bauer’s market. However, the Dodgers have been reluctant to sign free agents to massive long-term contracts under Andrew Friedman.
Bauer is the top pitcher on the market by a large margin. The reigning NL Cy Young winner posted a 1.73 ERA for the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, striking out 100 in 73 innings.
The free-spending Toronto Blue Jays may not be done yet in the free agent market.
The Blue Jays signed outfielder George Springer to a $150 million deal on Tuesday in one of the biggest moves of the offseason. There was some thought that such a significant financial commitment would rule Toronto out of pursuing any other big name free agents, but that does not appear to be the case.
According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Blue Jays are not necessarily out on Bauer even after signing Springer.
The Blue Jays have the luxury of a rather young and subsequently inexpensive core of key players, at least for the moment. That could allow them to stretch the payroll a bit and bring in guys like Bauer to compete now.
Even if the Blue Jays are serious about pursuing Bauer, they’re going to face very stiff competition if they want to land him.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are projected to have the highest payroll in baseball in 2021, but that does not mean they are opposed to spending big this offseason.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Wednesday that the Dodgers are closely monitoring the market for starting pitcher Trevor Bauer. While they have other needs to fill outside their starting rotation, the defending World Series champions could be interested in Bauer at the right price.
What would that price be? As ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez notes, Mookie Betts is the only player on L.A.’s roster who is under contract beyond the 2022 season. The Dodgers will have to spend big to keep Cody Bellinger and Walker Buehler by then, but it’s possible they could have interest in a shorter deal at a high average annual value for Bauer.
Bauer is the top free agent remaining on the market. He said over a year ago that he will only sign one-year deals throughout his career, so he may be open to a short-term contract.
A recent report claimed Bauer is seeking an enormous contract, though the right-hander and his agent angrily shot down the information on Twitter.
Bauer would obviously solidify the Dodgers’ spot as the team to beat in the National League. He’s coming off a Cy Young season in which he went 5-4 with a 1.73 ERA and 100 strikeouts in just 73 innings.
The San Francisco Giants may have an ace up their sleeve in the form of one of Trevor Bauer’s old teammates.
New Giants catcher Curt Casali, who signed a one-year deal with the team this week, appeared Tuesday on KNBR in San Francisco. In his interview, Casali said that he was already trying to recruit Bauer to the Giants.
“I’ve certainly let him know that I’ve signed with the Giants,” said Casali, per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic.
Bauer, the top free agent pitcher on the market, was teammates with Casali on the Cincinnati Reds for the last two seasons. Casali also caught Bauer for six of Bauer’s 11 starts in his NL Cy Young-winning 2020 campaign.
There are some conflicting reports about just how much Bauer is seeking. The actual number could ultimately determine how legitimate of a possibility he is for the rebuilding Giants.
Trevor Bauer is not pleased about a report that came out Tuesday claiming he is seeking a record-setting contract in free agency.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweeted on Tuesday that Bauer is looking for a five- or six-year deal at somewhere between $36 and $40 million per year. Heyman said he reached out to Bauer’s agent, Rachel Luba, for confirmation on the numbers, but Luba declined to comment. Or did she?
Bauer accused Heyman of not actually reaching out to Luba to verify the information. Luba said she never had a chance to open Heyman’s text messages and that she only declined comment in response to something he asked her in a previous conversation.
Gerrit Cole, who signed a nine-year, $324 million deal with the Yankees last season, set the record for average annual value of a contract at $36 million. Bauer has said throughout his career that he will only sign one-year deals, but he has apparently changed his mind if Heyman’s information is accurate. Though, it seems like the right-hander wants us to think it is not.
Heyman is a respected reporter, so it’s hard to believe he would fabricate information about Bauer’s agent declining comment. Perhaps there was some sort of misunderstanding in the text exchange.
Trevor Bauer is considered the top free agent on the market this offseason, and his asking price is said to be very high.
MLB reporter Jon Heyman said on Twitter Tuesday that a team interested in Bauer suggests the pitcher is looking for a five or six-year deal. Bauer reportedly is seeking $36 to $40 million per season.
A 5-year deal at $36 million per season would be $180 million. If he were to get six years at $40 million per season, that would be $240 million. Gerrit Cole, who signed 9-year, $324 million deal with the Yankees last season, set the record with an average of $36 million per season.
Bauer has said throughout his career that he would only sign one-year deals, but that plan appears to have changed.
Bauer’s reported asking price could explain why the San Diego Padres beefed up their rotation with some big trades rather than a major signing.
Trevor Bauer is probably the most desirable pitcher on the free agent market, and he is receiving interest from many teams. Bauer even asked fans to make their pitch as well, and then he ranked the pitches of those teams’ fans.
Bauer gave Yankees fans lots of plaudits for their pitches to him. While discussing the Yankees, he addressed questions about his relationship with Gerrit Cole.
“They seem to think they have to sell me getting along with Cole and the media market not being too bad. And that’s just a fake news story,” Bauer said of a pitch from the Yankees. “I get along fine with my teammates. I don’t have any problem with Gerrit at all. I’ve said that multiple times, but the media just likes to run with it.”
The stories about Cole and Bauer have been publicized over the last several years. The two were ace pitchers while teammates at UCLA and then went Nos. 1 and 3 in the 2011 MLB Draft. There has been talk that they didn’t get along great at UCLA due to their opposing styles and personalities. Bauer has been insisting the last few years though that he has no issues with his former teammate.
H/T KMBZ
