Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Trevor Bauer

MLB Inspecting “Suspicious Baseballs” From Trevor Bauer’s Latest Start

By | at

10:41pm: If the league attempts to punish Bauer, the union “would challenge any discipline not covered under current rules,” Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets.

8:09pm: Major League Baseball announced last month that it plans to crack down on pitchers doctoring baseballs. Now, one of the game’s highest-profile pitchers, Dodgers right-hander Trevor Bauer, is under the league’s microscope, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Bauer started against the Athletics on Wednesday, when he yielded two earned runs on 10 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. The umpires from that game have since collected multiple “suspicious baseballs” that Bauer threw, according to Rosenthal, who writes that they “had visible markings and were sticky.” As Rosenthal notes, though, the league may not be able to prove whether it was Bauer who doctored the ball, so it’s unclear whether it will discipline him.

Of course, the fact that the league’s looking at Bauer is especially intriguing when considering some of the past comments the outspoken 30-year-old has made in regards to potential cheating. He accused Astros pitchers of using illegal means in 2018 in an effort to increase their spin rate, and he then called the team “hypocrites” and “cheaters” last year.

Bauer had a career campaign in 2020 as a member of the Reds, with whom he won the National Cy Young, before signing a three-year, $102MM guarantee with the Dodgers in free agency. The returns so far have been promising, as Bauer has posted 20 strikeouts against three walks while giving up six runs on six hits in 13 innings, though this latest development is unwelcome for him and the Dodgers.

Quick Hits: Padres, Reds, Yankees

By | at

Dinelson Lamet will not be ready to join the opening day rotation, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell (via Twitter). On the plus side, he will get his first Cactus League start on Wednesday. That should get him on track to join the rotation at some point in April. The Padres have plenty of depth to work around Lamet’s absence, especially because of the delayed Triple-A season. In fact, slow-playing Lamet’s return not only benefits the right-hander, but it opens an opportunity for Adrian Morejon to get a start or two before the Triple-A season begins. Elsewhere around the game…

  • Reds owner Bob Castellini spoke recently with Paul Daugherty on the Reds Beat Podcast about a number of topics, including the Reds chances to win the National League Central. Castellini sees a division that the Reds can win. Castellini also said that he never expected that the Reds could be players for Trevor Bauer in free agency. He also gave the team’s reasoning for moving some key bullpen pieces this winter, “We have no idea what the financial aspects of this season is going to be — before, during or after. We have at least two very fine relievers that are possible closers: Sims and Garrett. Maybe even more. For instance, if Michael Lorenzen doesn’t start, he’s another very top reliever. We have five left-handed relievers. We are not trying to understand what’s going to happen financially this year, but we wanted to … keep a little in reserve in case we needed it when we needed it. We feel like our bullpen’s going to be all right. Better than all right.”
  • The assumption for the past few weeks has been that the Yankees are trying to decide between Jay Bruce and Mike Tauchman for their final bench spot. The latest from Andy Martino of sny.tv suggests that both might be in a position to make the opening day roster. Rather than DFA Tauchman and risk losing him to waivers, the Yankees are considering optioning infielder Tyler Wade instead. The Yankees have started trying out Gio Urshela at shortstop should they need him to serve as their reserve infielder in an emergency basis. Who, exactly, would step in for Urshela at third in that circumstance isn’t entirely clear. In the unlikely event that Bruce and Tauchman both made the team, Kyle Higashioka and Brett Gardner would make up the rest of the bench. Presumably, Wade will need to be on this roster sooner rather than later, even if the Yankees use his option to give some extra time to the Bruce vs. Tauchman debate.

NL Notes: Padres, Preller’s Winter, Cubs, Extension Talks, Shelby Miller

By | at

There was a point in the offseason when Padres’ GM A.J. Preller almost acquired Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, and Joe Musgrove on the same day, he said on Jon Heyman and Tony Gwynn Jr.’s Big Time Baseball podcast. Ultimately, it took a span of roughly three weeks to get all three arms dressed in brown, white, and gold. The deals took some finagling, as at one point, at least one of the players who ultimately went to Tampa Bay was slated for both the Snell and Darvish deals. Once the Snell deal went through, Preller and the Cubs had to renegotiate and swap in new names. Preller did not say which of the Rays’ new prospects was also coveted by the Cubs. But he did touch on their pursuit of one-time free agent and current Los Angeles Dodger Trevor Bauer. Preller and the Padres felt Bauer was going to take his time making a decision, and they didn’t want to be left holding the bag, so to speak, if he chose to go elsewhere. The Padres executed their trade plans instead, completing the most dramatic winters in recent memory. Despite the myriad additions, the Padres will have room for an in-season addition, should they feel the need, noted Preller. More on the Cubs…

  • After months – years, even – of trade speculation around their star core, the Cubs see varying levels of uncertainty around the respective futures of Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, or Kris Bryant, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago. Bryant seems destined for free agency. Rizzo is confident that he’ll remain a Cub beyond 2021, and the Cubs’ affection for Rizzo has never wavered. He’s the likeliest of the trio to receive an extension. Baez wants an extension, but given the potential options in free agency next winter, the Cubs would be wise to wait unless the Wasserman client succumbs to team friendly terms. Our speculation need not end on April 1st, however. Unlike some other players seeking extensions – namely and most apropos, Francisco Lindor – Baez has no problem continuing extension talks into the season, notes Wittenmyer. It’s worth noting that Wasserman also represents Kyle Hendricks, with whom the Cubs worked out an extension late in March, 2019.
  • Newfound command of his slider has helped Shelby Miller make a compelling case to make the Cubs’ roster, per Meghan Montemurro and Lamond Pope of the Chicago Tribune. Said Miller, “Opposing hitters have to respect a whole other pitch that they haven’t seen. I’ve just got to keep throwing it, and hopefully it gets better. And I’m just going to go out there and get outs. That’s all I can say really.” Miller is a long shot to make the rotation out of camp with Hendricks, Zach Davies, Jake Arrieta, Trevor Williams, Alec Mills, and Adbert Alzolay ahead of Miller in the pecking order. He’s in the mix for a bullpen spot, however. A lot may depend on whether Alzolay is granted another option season. If not, he’ll be on the roster in one form or another. Miller is a non-roster invitee who would need to be added to the 40-man roster to make the team. The Cubs have one open 40-man roster spot.

Dodgers Announce Trevor Bauer Signing, Designate Josh Sborz

By | at

The Dodgers have announced the signing of top-ranked free agent Trevor Bauer and designated fellow right-hander Josh Sborz for assignment, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweets.

Bauer, fresh off a National League Cy Young-winning 2020 with the Reds, should slot in near the front end of a loaded Dodgers rotation this year. The reigning World Series winner further loaded their roster when they agreed to sign him to a three-year, $102MM guarantee last week.

Sborz has been part of the Los Angeles organization since it used the 74th overall pick on him in the 2015 draft, but this designation could prove to be the end of the line. Now 27 years old, Sborz debuted in the majors in 2019 and has since thrown 13 1/3 innings of nine-earned run ball with eight strikeouts against five walks. However, Sborz does average upward of 95 mph on his fastball, and he has another minor league option remaining. Sborz has also pitched to a respectable 3.53 ERA in 367 1/3 innings at the lower levels. Considering those facts, some other team could take a chance on Sborz in the coming days.

Quick Hits: Mets, Bauer, KBO, Yang

By | at

In perhaps the least surprising “upset” of all-time, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became Super Bowl Champions last night. With the NFL season wrapped, we’re that much closer to baseball season. Here’s the latest from around the game…

  • Mets Team President Sandy Alderson has never gotten as far along in negotiations with a free agent as he was with Trevor Bauer without consummating a deal, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Simply put: the Mets thought Bauer would be a New York Met. No term sheet was signed, however, and Bauer signed instead with the Dodgers. It was a tough few hours for the Mets, who went from believing they’d added the best free agent pitcher on the market one minute to not only losing Bauer, but seeing Marcell Ozuna re-sign with their division rival, all in the span of a few hours. On the one hand, the Mets would seem to have $40MM burning a whole in their pocket, leaving room for another significant addition. At the same time, there’s not another top free agent available that would warrant close to that kind of financial commitment.
  • MLB checked on the status of KBO free agent Yang Hyeon-jon, per Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News (via Twitter). Basically, Yoo explains, this means that there’s at least one team that has expressed interest in signing Yang. Looking ahead to his age-33 season, Yang has spent his entire career with the Kia Tigers of the KBO. The southpaw had a bit of a down year in 2020, 5.17 ERA across 172 1/3 innings with a 20.0 percent strikeout rate and 8.6 percent walk rate. With a 3.83 career ERA across 14 seasons, Yang could certainly be viewed as a rotation candidate, though he has made 101 career appearances out of the pen as well.

 

Details On Mets’ Offer To Trevor Bauer

By | at

The Mets were one of the two finalists in the Trevor Bauer sweepstakes, but the Cy Young-winning right-hander wound up spurning the club for the Dodgers’ three-year, $102MM guarantee Friday. The Mets made a very competitive offer, though, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that they proposed a deal worth $105MM over three years. New York would have paid Bauer $40MM in 2021, $35MM in 2022 and $30MM in 2023, and the contract would have included opt-out chances after the first two seasons, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, who adds that the Mets would have included $5MM had Bauer opted out after the second year.

Bauer’s Dodgers deal also features a pair of opt-outs, and it likely didn’t help the Mets’ cause that he is a Southern California native who said in the past he wanted to play in Los Angeles. The Dodgers are the reigning World Series champions, which further stacked the deck against a Mets club coming off four straight years without a playoff berth.

The Mets have made a real effort to change their fortunes this winter, largely because of new owner Steve Cohen. So far, the team has used trades and free agency to add Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, James McCann and Trevor May to its roster. A Bauer signing would have made the Mets even more imposing going into 2021, but they’ll have to either enter the season with the starters they have in place or acquire someone for a far less expensive salary.

Trevor Bauer Announces He Will Sign With Dodgers

By | at

The Dodgers have agreed to a deal with top free agent starter Trevor Bauer, reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). It’s a three-year deal with opt-outs after year one and year two, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adds that Bauer is guaranteed a total of $102MM on the deal, which includes a $40MM salary in 2021 and a $45MM salary in 2022. Both marks establish new records for the highest single-season salary, though the contract’s overall $34MM average annual value is still a bit shy of Gerrit Cole’s record $36MM. Bauer himself has confirmed the signing on YouTube.

The Mets offered Bauer more than the Dodgers did in the end, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets, but the Santa Clarita native and UCLA product was drawn both to Southern California, the opportunity to help defend a World Series championship and to the Dodgers’ “cutting edge,” technologically and data-driven pitching practices, per Sherman.

Tre vor Bauer | Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

By landing Bauer, the Dodgers will be able to boast one of the more imposing rotations in recent memory. The reigning NL Cy Young winner will join a starting staff that already includes Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias and David Price, with youngsters Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin available to soak up some innings as well as the club tries to manage workloads after a shortened 2020 schedule.

Bauer is a polarizing arm among MLB fans, both for his social media presence and for the volatility of his on-field performance. The right-hander was the No. 3 overall pick out of UCLA back in 2011, and while he was always billed as a potential top-of-the-rotation arm as a prospect, he settled in as more of a mid-rotation starter with tantalizing stuff for much of his early career.

Things changed in 2018 when Bauer broke out with a brilliant, Cy Young-caliber season. He may well have won the AL Cy Young with the Indians that year had a stress fracture in his right tibia not cut his season short by a month. Bauer started 27 games in 2018 and pitched to a pristine 2.21 ERA and 2.94 SIERA while striking out 30.8 percent of his opponents against just a 7.9 percent walk rate. Bauer posted a 13.3 percent swinging-strike rate that year, averaged 95 miles per hour on his four-seamer and, at age 27, looked to be breaking out as the ace he’d long been expected to become.

The pendulum swung back in the opposite direction early in 2019, however. Bauer got out to a fine start, pitching to a 3.49 ERA and racking up 152 1/3 innings through his first 23 starts before he was blown up for eight runs in a now-infamous start that saw him hurl the ball over the center field fence at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium upon being removed from the game. Bauer was surprisingly traded to the Reds just days later, and his initial stint in Cincinnati didn’t go well, to say the least. In 10 games with the Reds down the stretch in 2019, Bauer was hammered for a 6.39 ERA.

That bloated mark was due largely to a fluky home run rate, however, and Bauer saw both his strikeout and walk rates remain strong. Fielding-independent pitching metrics were more bullish on his work, and his velocity held up. Entering the 2020 season, he looked like a potential rebound candidate, and he achieved that feat and then some.

Bauer’s 1.73 ERA paced the National League and was second in all of MLB to Shane Bieber, while his 2.94 SIERA ranked fourth behind Bieber, Jacob deGrom and Kenta Maeda. Bieber and deGrom were the only two starters in the game to top Bauer’s 36 percent strikeout rate, and that same pair were the only two starters with a better K-BB% than Bauer’s 29.9.

Obviously, the historic contracts that both the Dodgers and Mets were willing to put forth in order to sign Bauer are bets not necessarily on his career marks but on his ability to continue pitching at his 2018 and 2020 levels. His detractors will regularly point out that Bauer has “only” had 1.5 elite seasons, while supporters can point to the fact that outside his final 11 starts in 2019, Bauer has been pitching at a front-of-the-rotation level since Opening Day 2018. Even with that brutal finish to the 2019 season, he owns a 3.18 ERA and 3.61 SIERA with premium strikeout and walk rates over the past three years combined.

Fans can — and will — debate whether that’s worth a record-setting investment, but it should also be noted that the reason for his sky-high AAV is that both the Dodgers and Mets were willing to pay a premium to limit the length of the contract. Had Bauer sought a contract of five, six or seven years in length, as most pitchers of his age and with his track record would have done, he’d have commanded a strong but decidedly smaller annual salary. The Dodgers have previously pursued this type of arrangement with other premier free agents, most notably including Bryce Harper, whom they reportedly offered roughly $45MM annually over a four-year term during his free agency a few years ago.

The Bauer contract will send the Dodgers skyrocketing past the $210MM luxury-tax barrier, making them the lone club in baseball this winter that has been willing to surpass that mark. While many owners have treated that threshold as a salary cap, the reality is that the Dodgers’ penalty for signing Bauer won’t be particularly heavy. They’d dipped south of the luxury line in 2019 and 2020, so they’ll be considered a first-time offender.

The Dodgers owe a 20 percent tax on the first $20MM by which they exceed the $210MM mark and a 32 percent tax on the next $20MM. Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez projects the team’s luxury obligations at roughly $239.5MM — meaning the Dodgers’ tax penalty, at present, will be a hair north of $7MM. That’s assuming no further additions or subtractions to the payroll, of course, but it’s certainly possible they could look for some creative trades to alter that financial outlook — particularly if they still hope to bring back franchise cornerstone Justin Turner.

We also can’t forget the Reds when talking about Bauer’s signing. While Cincinnati never looked like a realistic option to re-sign the Cy Young winner, the Reds did make him an $18.9MM qualifying offer, meaning they’re entitled to draft compensation. They’ll receive a pick at the end of the first round of next year’s draft, whereas the Dodgers will forfeit their second-highest selection in next year’s draft and also lose $500K of next year’s international bonus pool.

The last-minute Bauer strike by the Dodgers only further boosts what was already one of the game’s deepest and most talented pitching staffs. It also serves as counterpunch of sorts to an uber-aggressive winter from the division-rival Padres, who’ve added the likes of Blake Snell, Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove to their own staff. With the Rockies dealing away Nolan Arenado, the Giants making rather minimal additions and the D-backs largely sitting out the offseason, the stage is set for a two-team race for NL West supremacy.

While Bauer’s three-month free-agent saga has drawn to a dramatic close, it’s quite possible a similar cycle will play out again next winter. Tempting as the $45MM salary in 2022 would be, he’ll “only” have two years and $62MM remaining on his contract next winter. A $31MM annual value over a two-year term makes for quite the safety net, but if Bauer again pitches at an ace-caliber level, he’d surely be able to command a larger guarantee over a lengthier term — or at least secure a similar three-year deal with ultra-premium annual salaries once again.

Opting out of the $45MM salary in 2022 may seem unthinkable to some, but remember that as recently as 2019, Bauer was planning to only ever sign one-year contracts in his career, believing strongly in furthering the market for future pitchers, maintaining control over his career and maximizing his earnings through a series of year-to-year arrangements wherein he was taking on more risk than teams. Bauer obviously softened his stance and displayed a willingness to consider multi-year pacts this winter, but the opt-out provisions in this contract give him all the flexibility of a one-year pact, and he could look for a similar opportunity next winter if he has earning power beyond that $62MM guarantee.

Mets Reportedly Set Deadline For Bauer To Decide On Offer

By | at

10:50am: SNY’s Andy Martino tweets that there are “mixed signals” regarding whether there’s a firm deadline from the Mets to Bauer. Thosar tweets that there is not a concrete deadline in place, but a decision is nevertheless expected soon.

10:05am: The Mets have set a noon ET deadline on their current offer to free-agent righty Trevor Bauer, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (Twitter links). The current offer is a front-loaded, three-year pact in the $100-110MM range with opt-out clauses after years one and two, per Sherman. Bauer would earn upwards of $40MM in years one and two under the current proposal. Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News tweets that the Mets do expect an answer from Bauer today.

Depending on the specific guarantee of the deal, that range suggests it’s possible for Bauer to set a new record for a contract’s average annual value. Anything north of $108MM on a three-year term would topple his former UCLA teammate Gerrit Cole’s current record of $36MM with the Yankees — albeit over a much shorter term than Cole’s nine-year commitment. Even if the total falls shy of that sum and Bauer narrowly misses an AAV record, if the Mets are indeed willing to pay upwards of $40MM in year one of the contract, that could represent a record in and of itself.

The Dodgers, according to Sherman, remain “in the mix” to sign Bauer, although MLB.com’s Jon Morosi indicated this morning that at least as of last night, it was the Mets who had the highest offer to Bauer on the table. While last night’s report from USA Today that Bauer and the Mets had a deal has been widely shot down, it does appear as though Bauer’s camp is nearing a decision on where he’ll play for at least the 2021 season.

Latest On Mets, Trevor Bauer

By | at

While Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Mets have reached an agreement with right-hander Trevor Bauer, the top free agent on the board, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com offers different information, tweeting that the two sides do not have a deal yet. Indeed, agent Rachel Luba suggested on Twitter that there is not a contract in place.

While Bauer does not appear to be on his way to New York at this juncture, the team is said to be one of the two finalists for the reigning National League Cy Young winner. The Dodgers are also vying for the 30-year-old Bauer, who starred with the Reds last season and entered the winter as MLBTR’s top-ranked free agent. It’s unclear what the Dodgers are willing to offer Bauer, but the Mets are reportedly in the three-year, $100MM range and considered the favorites to sign him. That deal would be one of the richest ever given to a player on an annual basis, but it would fall short of Yankees ace Gerrit Cole’s record of $36MM per season.

If he does go to the Mets, Bauer would be the big-splash signing their fans were expecting when deep-pocketed owner Steve Cohen took over the club earlier this offseason. The Cohen-led Mets have made some aggressive moves on his watch (the Francisco Lindor/Carlos Carrasco trade and the signings of James McCann and Trevor May, to name some), but they’ve yet to land an elite-tier free agent. That may change soon, though.

Mets Reportedly “In Talks” With Trevor Bauer; Dodgers Still Involved

By | at

5:23pm: New York is “believed to” have made a three-year offer worth around $100MM to Bauer, tweets Heyman, who adds there’s “likely” an opt-out clause after the first season. Ed Coleman of WFAN previously reported a three-year, $90MM-plus offer with an opt-out.

4:31pm: The Mets are the current favorites in this race, Jon Morosi of MLB.com hears.

3:16pm: Agent Rachel Luba suggested on Twitter that Bauer is down to two teams, though she didn’t name the clubs.

3:05pm: MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets that the Dodgers are still in the mix and that the Bauer bidding could come down to those two clubs.

2:56pm: The Mets are currently “in talks” with free-agent righty Trevor Bauer, tweets Fansided’s Robert Murray. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman adds that the team expects to hear something more definitive from Bauer’s camp within the next 24 hours or so.

The Mets, under new owner Steve Cohen, have been the most oft-connected team to Bauer over the past month. While other clubs have made sense as on-paper fits and been connected to him more loosely, the Mets have repeatedly been portrayed as one of his likeliest landing spots. Adding Bauer on a contract of any length would very likely send the Mets soaring past the $210MM luxury tax line — barring a trade to free up some space. The Mets currently project to have about $183.5MM in luxury obligations, and Bauer is widely expected to command more than that $26.5MM gap in terms of annual salary.

Adding Bauer would also give the Mets one of the more imposing rotations in the Majors. He’d join two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom, right-handers Carlos Carrasco and Marcus Stroman, and impressive young David Peterson, who turned in a strong rookie effort in 2020. Noah Syndergaard, meanwhile, would be expected to rejoin the fray midseason once he has completed his rehab from 2020 Tommy John surgery.

The Dodgers have been mentioned at times as a potential entrant into the bidding — likely on a short-term deal with a high annual value. The club has made that type of offer to various high-end free agents in recent offseasons — most notably offering Bryce Harper a reported four-year deal in the $180MM range — and could again see appeal in paying a super-premium annual rate to limit the length of their commitment to Bauer.

With Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, David Price, Julio Urias, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin all on board already, Bauer would be something of a luxury item for president of baseball ops Andrew Friedman and his staff. That said, the appeal of a Buehler/Kershaw/Bauer top three is enticing, to say the least.

While the Dodgers and Mets might be the two likeliest destinations for Bauer at present, SNY’s Andy Martino tweets that others could yet enter the mix with enticing two- or three-year offers at a high annual rate. That said, he adds that things between the Mets and Bauer are “quite serious” at the moment.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top