The Mets have reportedly made a significant offer to reigning NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer.
According to multiple reports, the New York Mets have officially made an offer to star free agent pitcher Trevor Bauer.
The Mets have made an offer to Trevor Bauer.
What does that offer look like? And how will this all play out?
(@martinonyc) pic.twitter.com/XNXeHPthOj
— SNY (@SNYtv) January 26, 2021
Bauer reportedly wants to set a new record for pitchers offseason, breaking the mark set by Gerrit Cole’s $36 million average annual value with the Yankees. His rivalry with Cole goes back to their days as teammates at UCLA, amplified by their selections in the 2011 draft. The Mets offer is said to be less than Cole’s record number, however.
Bauer is among the most controversial players in MLB today. His personality both on and off the field has drawn both love and hate.
Bauer On the Mound
On the field, Bauer has been consistently up and down. In 2018 and 2020 Bauer put together two phenomenal seasons, including winning the NL Cy Young in 2020. The issue is that Bauer didn’t make 30 starts in either season, 27 in 2018 and 11 in 2020.
Meanwhile, Bauer has had an ERA over 4.10 in every other season in his career. That includes 2019 when he had a 4.48 ERA and a 4.34 FIP.
Bauer also famously wears his emotions on his sleeve on the field. Again, no problem with that as players showing emotion on the field is great for the game. Pitchers screaming after big Ks, bat flips after home runs, and things of that nature are great for the game.
What’s not great for the game is moments like these,
From a pure baseball perspective. The Mets money would likely be better spent upgrading elsewhere. It’s true they need another starting pitcher, but they have a bigger need in centerfield.
Brandon Nimmo, although a great offensive player, is one of the worst defensive centerfielders in MLB. Simply by upgrading in centerfield, the Mets will improve their pitching staff. Better defense equals less runners on, which means less runs allowed.
Bauer’s Issues
Bauer is outspoken on just about everything on Twitter. Normally, that would be just fine, after all, that’s his right. However, Bauer has been accused numerous times of harassing and attacking women on Twitter.
In one instance he reportedly tweeted at a female college student over 80 times without reply. That’s textbook sexual harassment. It never got to the level of Jared Porter’s harassment with photos involved, but it’s still a disturbing action.
Bauer has since apologized for this, but he’s continued to attack women on Twitter. It seems though, that the Mets are not turned off by Bauer’s online presence.
No matter what the Mets do moving forward, it’s clear that they are at least interested in Trevor Bauer. Whether that interest eventually culminates in a contract is yet to be seen, but his personality flags give us reason for pause.
