Why not take a flier on a one year "prove it" deal for Trevor Bauer?

[TURBO]

Yes, I know I'm gonna get bashed for this idea, but he is still out there, and is going to want to prove something.

Someone is going to sign the guy, why not  us?

I haven't seen a single thing about him this off season.

Would he take a one year 10-12 million deal to cash in on a future multi year deal with someone else?

Talk about a risk - reward situation...

[brewerfan82]

I haven't followed his whole thing very closely, but if the courts, MLB, and the Brewers FO all feel he's cleared, I'd be interested in taking a chance on him and trust the Brewers have done their due diligence if they do decide to go that route (that might mean reaching out to current players to see how they'd feel, etc.). It's going to be a PR debacle regardless, but maybe it'll be less of an issue in Milwaukee than it would be elsewhere.

All that said, totally understand anyone that wants to just steer clear of the guy regardless.

[Jose Cardenal]

Agree.  Assuming Burnes is traded we need to add at least 1 veteran SP.  Bauer could be great value for the money.  Of course I doubt Mark A. has the testicular heft to allow that signing given the potential bad PR (whether deserved or not).

[SeaBass]

I'm on the steer clear train. Bauer has always been an arrogant headcase. At best he's a bad decision maker at worst he might be... simply a nightmare. I don't like the guy, let him be a nightmare for another team. I'm not convinced there's going to be a team that does sign him. I think he's done playing ball in the MLB.

[sveumrules]

53 minutes ago, TURBO said:

Someone is going to sign the guy, why not  us?

I haven't seen a single thing about him this off season.

These two statements seem at odds with one another.

Considering how quiet things have been on the Bauer front, how sure can we really be that someone is going to sign the guy?

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone signs him, but I think that someone is more likely to be the Doosan Bears or Sugar Land Space Cowboys than it is an MLB club.

[Fear The Chorizo]

30 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

These two statements seem at odds with one another.

Considering how quiet things have been on the Bauer front, how sure can we really be that someone is going to sign the guy?

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone signs him, but I think that someone is more likely to be the Doosan Bears or Sugar Land Space Cowboys than it is an MLB club.

Which is sad, because Bauer was among the best starting pitchers in the game before he got his MLB career taken away from him for something he was falsely accused of doing.  Part of the lack of rumors with Bauer is probably all the other more prominent FA pitchers taking awhile to sign contracts that interested teams are still vying for (Snell, Montgomery, etc).

I'm not saying Bauer is a saint, but he's a good, durable starting pitcher that will take the ball every 5th day and give the team he's pitching for a good chance to win, and I think a MLB team will sign him to a deal before the season starts.  I actually think he would be a really good fit in Milwaukee in the middle of their rotation regardless of whether they trade Burnes or keep him into Opening Day.  

If nothing else, I don't see why a rebuilding team doesn't give Bauer a contract and then try to deal him for prospects at the deadline if he proves to still be an effective starter at the MLB level.

[wibadgers23]

I’d probably do it on a one year deal and Bauer has stated in the past that he really likes the city of Milwaukee in the summer. It’s just a matter of whether the Brewers want to get involved in that kind of drama.

[Fear The Chorizo]

2 hours ago, SeaBass said:

I'm on the steer clear train. Bauer has always been an arrogant headcase. At best he's a bad decision maker at worst he might be... simply a nightmare. I don't like the guy, let him be a nightmare for another team. I'm not convinced there's going to be a team that does sign him. I think he's done playing ball in the MLB.

At best he won a Cy Young award in 2020 and was off to a good enough start with the Dodgers in 2021 where he could've been in that conversation again, preventing Burnes from winning his, had he not been suspended.

There's no questioning his ability as a MLB pitcher, and he proved during last season in Japan that he's not a pumpkin after the 2+ seasons he was forced to miss for something that he should not have been suspended for in the first place.  

Mookie Betts this last October:

"My experience with Bauer is not anything remotely close to what everyone else's experience is. I love him. I think he's an awesome guy. The personal things? I have no control. I have no say. Obviously, nothing ever came from it.

"He's an awesome pitcher. He's a great guy, somebody who wants to take the mound every fifth day. But, at the end of the day, I don't make the decision. That's a decision that's not as simple as baseball."

That last sentence is indeed true - however the baggage revolving around Bauer should not include the fraudulent sexual assault allegations, but unfortunately it will.  The other aspects of Bauer's off the field personality are worth scrutinizing...although those aspects weren't enough to prevent the Dodgers from giving him a 3 yr, 9 figure contract before the 2021 season began based on his onfield pitching ability.  

[brooks_quichenick]

The hardest pass in the history of passes. This guy sucks.

[SeaBass]

49 minutes ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

although those aspects weren't enough to prevent the Dodgers from giving him a 3 yr, 9 figure contract before the 2021 season began based on his onfield pitching ability.  

Certainly seems that in the end the Dodgers regretted giving north of $64M to a guy that only appeared in 17 games for them.

Any team could have had him for the major league minimum last season. Insert crickets chirping sound here.

He's a liability. His choice of lifestyle put him in a position to be scrutinized and have his availability to pitch come into serious doubt.

Sexual assault is notoriously difficult to prove. It doesn't mean it didn't happen. I tend to believe the result is reasonably accurate but I don't think that means that Bauer is absolved of any flaws of judgement which put him in that situation to begin with.

I hope he likes sushi.

[Fear The Chorizo]

2 hours ago, SeaBass said:

Certainly seems that in the end the Dodgers regretted giving north of $64M to a guy that only appeared in 17 games for them.

Any team could have had him for the major league minimum last season. Insert crickets chirping sound here.

He's a liability. His choice of lifestyle put him in a position to be scrutinized and have his availability to pitch come into serious doubt.

Sexual assault is notoriously difficult to prove. It doesn't mean it didn't happen. I tend to believe the result is reasonably accurate but I don't think that means that Bauer is absolved of any flaws of judgement which put him in that situation to begin with.

I hope he likes sushi.

A big difference, at least IMO, and likely reason why he wasn't signed by a MLB team at all last season after the Dodgers released him was the fact that until the end of the 2023 season it wasn't publicly apparent that the primary reason he was suspended in the first place was fraudulent.  As you pointed out, it's one thing to not be charged / convicted for sexual assault in the court of law and find a way to skate clear of that - but if what came out this fall was available back in January 2023 the Dodgers probably wouldn't have released him - or if they did somebody else would have signed him.

And all one needs to do to find a good number of players who have led seedy private lives and/or come off as narcissistic d-bags is walk through the halls of Cooperstown.

We will see what happens, but I'm expecting some MLB team to sign Bauer before Opening Day.

 

 

 

 

 

[jerichoholicninja]

Yes, please.

[Dave_Not_Here]

If it were up to me, I'd have Bauer as my #1 off-season target.  

For the price and years he is likely to be willing to sign a deal for, there really isn't a better pitcher available that the Brewers would or could realistically target.on the free agent market. 

Bauer is also pretty durable, which the Brewers currently need more of, whether or not they trade Burnes.  

Definitely worth the risk as far as I am concerned.  

[Outlander]

I saw Bauer was making some interview rounds this week. I'm not seeing his market being very high still. He is likely morally corrupt and a jerk but possibly not a criminal. Wouldn't be the first in baseball and not the last. Would see if the Brewers can get him at their price, which would be low with team options.

[jay87shot]

I feel Bauer has done his time, especially since it seems that the woman did set him up to some degree. Heck the Astros cheated their way to a World Series and not 1 player was suspended 1 game. The GM and manager 1 (i believe). Mike Fiers probably got the worse end of the situation. Bauer got 324 games reduced to 194. I still don't like him much as a person but he does seem to be a likely clubhouse figure. From a baseball prospective he would be on his best behavior and cost pennies on the dollar maybe even a reasonable 2nd year option. 

I say sign him what is the worst that could happen, 

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Even before the accusations, Bauer was a guy well-known as a Class A jerk. 

But Josh Donaldson seemed to work out ok last year, so ....

[TURBO]

If no one is attempting to sign this guy, offer him a cheap prove it contract loaded with incentives.

He'd pitch his ass off, stay on the up and up as a human being, in hopes of a big payday next season.

I just really wonder if the league as a whole is blackballing him, or if there are really no teams interested...

 

[brewers888]

1 hour ago, TURBO said:

If no one is attempting to sign this guy, offer him a cheap prove it contract loaded with incentives.

He'd pitch his ass off, stay on the up and up as a human being, in hopes of a big payday next season.

I just really wonder if the league as a whole is blackballing him, or if there are really no teams interested...

 

I definitely think he is being blackballed which is a shame since he was proven not guilty and that the girl was trying to blackmail him. Everyone talking about him being a jerk without knowing the guy is completely uncalled for especially since Mookie Betts stood up for the guy. This is a situation where we can pick up a top of the rotation starter for cheap and we should take full advantage of it.

Weren't there rumors that we tried to sign Aroldis Chapman with the intention of then trading Devin. Well Aroldis is a far worse person than Bauer yet we were willing to sign him.

Its a little tiresome seeing people disparage someones character when the guy was proven to have been blackmailed and was innocent. 

[TURBO]

Dude just wants to play, says he'll play for anyone!!! 

Golden opportunity here, we need to take the risk.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/baseball/news-i-play-anyone-dodgers-astros-trevor-bauer-signals-intent-mlb-return-top-teams?key2=1977873&fbclid=IwAR1h96YRFFVldT25hMT1LkO4kguxpyJ1bTYxJkpZLE50FmiJ6POQJGQatTs

[brewmann04]

At this point why the heck not 

[Brewcrew82]

I really don’t think it’s going to happen but I’d ultimately be fine with it if that’s the direction they decided to go in. I wouldn’t stop watching the Brewers or anything like that. 

At the same time, he’s also brought a lot of his issues upon himself, and I’m not going to pretend he’s this upstanding citizen or something. I’d cheer for him to help my favorite team win ballgames, but that’s about it. 

 

[Guest]

Please no - the absolute last thing the Brewers need is this guy around the clubhouse.

His behavior prior the allegations was extremely disturbing... do a quick google search and you can see how he would harass females on twitter on a regular basis. Also... is he fully clear of all legal trouble? I know the one case is settled, but wasn't he accused by multiple women in multiple states.

MLB teams have stayed away for a reason - just because he didn't end up facing criminal charges doesn't mean he is innocent.

Absolute terrible human being.

[homer]

Just to note, there have been 4 women to publicly accuse Bauer of sexual assault not just the one. So he's either a deviant and should be in jail or a magnet for deranged scammers. 

[endaround]

1. Bauer was not what people are thinking the last time he was in MLB: 4.03 FIP So not a TOR guy 3 years ago, more like a #3

2. The last time he was really good was 2018

3. He projects even worse for 2024

4. MLB knows a lot more about him and potential problems than we do and no one will touch him

[jw5511986]

1 hour ago, endaround said:

1. Bauer was not what people are thinking the last time he was in MLB: 4.03 FIP So not a TOR guy 3 years ago, more like a #3

2. The last time he was really good was 2018

3. He projects even worse for 2024

4. MLB knows a lot more about him and potential problems than we do and no one will touch him

This is the point, If Bauer still had Ace ability he'd already been signed. The reasons teams aren't taking the risks is because the juice isn't worth the squeeze. The assumption that this is a moral stand purposely misses the fact that the morals of these teams are subjective and related to the skill set in question.