Dodgers Sign Trevor Bauer To Three-Year Deal
The top free agent pitcher in baseball is no longer a free agent. After an interminable PR tour, Trevor Bauer has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as Jon Heyman first reported. The deal, a three-year, $102 million pact with opt outs after each year, bolsters an already-stout Dodgers rotation and ups the NL West arms race after the Padres’ busy offseason.
It would hardly be honest to write about Bauer without mentioning who he is as a person, so let’s do that first. For lack of a better way to say it, he’s a jerk, a troll. That’s not harsh enough, but it points in the right direction. “Troll” undersells it: time and again, Bauer has stepped up to the line and then gone past it, lashing out and inducing his fans to harass someone before acting shocked at the fallout, claiming innocence.
I won’t detail each individual incident, but suffice it to say that this goes beyond your typical Twitter sniping. The pattern is shockingly similar each time: Bauer takes offense at some perceived slight on social media, berates and otherwise insults the source of that slight (sometimes at great length), and then with a quote tweet, points his fans and followers in the woman’s direction (and it’s almost always a woman), who then proceed to harass her.
Eventually, Bauer issues a banal non-apology about how he never intended to harm anyone and doesn’t believe he did anything wrong, despite the glib falsity of that statement. This isn’t an isolated incident, a poor decision made in his rash youth. It’s a pattern, and a well-documented one.
I’m not here to legislate how you feel about that. I’ll simply invite you to consider how it feels to root for someone who repeatedly takes advantage of his popularity and power to make life worse for people without those things; how it feels to be one of those people. For the remainder of this article, though, I’m going to talk about what this means on the field, on the days where Bauer is pitching, though that hasn’t always been without conflict either.
Before 2020, Bauer had been a talented but inconsistent starter. The glimpses were there from time to time; in 2018, he threw 175.1 innings of 2.21 ERA, 2.44 FIP excellence. He finished sixth in Cy Young voting that year in a strong AL field. In 2019, however, he backslid; his strikeout rate dipped, his walk rate ticked up, and he recorded the highest xFIP of his career, a 4.43 showing that moved his career mark to exactly 4.00.
But something interesting happened in 2019. Bauer, then a member of the Cincinnati Reds, suddenly started throwing with more spin. The increase was sharp and sustained, and while it didn’t immediately produce better results, his fastball suddenly became one of the highest-spin, highest-movement four-seamers in baseball.
Bauer has never publicly admitted to using a foreign substance to enhance his grip, but he’d be the first to tell you their effects, and quite frankly, most pitchers in baseball are doing it. Regardless of what caused his spin rate increase, though — and to be clear, I feel quite confident it was a sticky substance of some type — that increase carried over into 2020, arguably Bauer’s best season yet.
In 11 starts, Bauer struck out 36% of opposing batters while walking only 6.1%. He posted a 1.73 ERA, second in the majors behind his former teammate Shane Bieber. He threw two shutouts (albeit of the seven inning variety). He posted a game score of 70 or higher in seven of his 11 outings. He captured 27 of 30 first place votes in winning the first Cy Young of his career. Bauer, you might say, did his best at the best possible time.
His four-seam fastball was a major reason why. In his career before 2020, our pitch values pegged Bauer’s fastball for a total -0.5 runs of value. In other words, the pitch was almost exactly average over six seasons of pitching. In 2020, it was worth 14.3 runs above average.
He got there with a little bit of everything. He threw the pitch more. Armed with extra spin and extra movement, he missed more bats with it. Most importantly, even when batters did hit it, they couldn’t square him up. The batted ball metrics on the pitch were as good as they’ve ever been:
| Year | wOBACON | xwOBACON | Barrel% | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | .390 | .384 | 7.5% | 26.1% |
| 2016 | .394 | .476 | 11.6% | 24.1% |
| 2017 | .395 | .391 | 6.6% | 21.3% |
| 2018 | .320 | .369 | 7.3% | 26.8% |
| 2019 | .426 | .431 | 12.6% | 29.0% |
| 2020 | .320 | .317 | 8.8% | 47.4% |
You might not recognize win percentage, the last column on this chart. That’s because I just made it up. Win percentage is the frequency with which Bauer induced opponents to hit the ball at angles where they couldn’t win, and he couldn’t help but win; below zero degrees or above 40 degrees. That’s where outs live. Put another way, he avoided squared-up contact; it’s hard to blast line drives all around the park when you’re hitting the ball into the ground or high in the air.
Bauer’s 2020 success depended largely on that fastball. He throws plenty of other pitches — a slider, a cutter, and a curveball — but he pared back his two weakest offerings, a changeup and a sinker that both ranked as his worst pitches in past years. By focusing on what worked best and avoiding what didn’t, he looked much improved.
How much improved? ZiPS thinks Bauer projects as the sixth-best pitcher in baseball this year, high praise for someone with two excellent seasons amid an otherwise solid but unspectacular career. Behold:
| Year | W | L | ERA | G | GS | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA+ | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 15 | 7 | 3.33 | 30 | 30 | 184.0 | 155 | 68 | 21 | 58 | 211 | 131 | 4.5 |
| 2022 | 13 | 7 | 3.34 | 28 | 28 | 172.3 | 144 | 64 | 20 | 55 | 197 | 130 | 4.2 |
| 2023 | 12 | 7 | 3.44 | 27 | 26 | 162.0 | 139 | 62 | 19 | 52 | 180 | 126 | 3.7 |
ZiPS incorporates a ton of data — I picture Dan’s house as overflowing with hard drives — but it’s hard for a computer system to know things like “Bauer’s spin rate isn’t a fluke, and will likely stay this high.” That might make you think that ZiPS is underrating Bauer, but the machine isn’t dumb — there were measurable quantitative changes to Bauer’s stuff, which helps explain why he’s projected for 4.5 WAR despite only hitting that mark (on a pro-rated basis) in two of his seven seasons. This stuff is really hard to get a grip on!
Pitcher aging is always a mystery box. The adage I repeat most frequently is that pitchers don’t decline, they break. That’s one of Bauer’s greatest strengths — ZiPS projects him to throw the fifth-most innings in the majors this year, and Steamer projects him to throw the most, period. Staying on the field is often half the battle, and Bauer excels there, self-inflicted drone wounds notwithstanding.
The contract terms are unique. Bauer has an opt out after each year, and the salaries aren’t evenly distributed. He’ll make $40 million in 2021, $45 million in 2022 unless he opts out, and $17 million in 2023 if he chooses to stay that long. My opt out model basically laughs at the strangeness:
| Length w/LAD | Odds of Opting Out | Salary ($mm) | New Contract ($mm) | Total 3-Year Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Year | 3.9% | 40 | 117.9 | 157.9 |
| 2 Years | 75.8% | 85 | 36.3 | 121.3 |
| 3 Years | 20.3% | 102 | 0 | 102 |
| Total | 1 | 86.7 | 32.1 | 118.8 |
Bauer is incredibly unlikely to opt out after this season. The model gives him a 3.9% chance, but even that may be too high. The model doesn’t have a single-season cap, because teams will often overpay players in their decline years to make up for paying them “only” $40 million for a year of their prime, but there are no decline years in this deal to use, so I find it unlikely Bauer could secure the full value of that first option.
On the other hand, he’s highly likely to leave after 2022; he’d need to decline heavily (or get hurt) to think the best contract he could sign was for one year and $17 million. The model only compares what he’d make over the balance of the contract, but even if Bauer could only secure $17 million per year, he could likely get an extra year at that rate. In other words, he’s even more likely to stay after year one than my high projection, and even more likely to leave after year two than my high projection.
The upshot for the Dodgers is that they’re getting two years of Bauer, plus a third one if something goes terribly awry. ZiPS thinks Bauer will be the best pitcher on the team, but he’s likely to slot in as their third starter behind homegrown talent Walker Buehler and living legend Clayton Kershaw, which means Bauer’s dream of starting every four days predictably died on the vine.
Los Angeles already had enviable starting depth, but adding Bauer makes that depth truly monstrous. Julio Urías is their likely number four, David Price slots in as a preposterously overqualified fifth starter, and that’s before even considering Dustin May or Tony Gonsolin. That puts their rotation roughly on par with the rival Padres, who built a similarly deep group through trade rather than financial brawn.
And the Dodgers may not be done with their offseason yet. Now $30 million over the competitive balance tax threshold, they have little incentive not to sign Justin Turner for the next two years, though should they clock in at $40 million over the threshold, their first round draft pick would fall 10 places, so it would behoove them to spread his money out over multiple years to dodge that particular penalty. The repeat offender CBT penalties are binary and the Dodgers have no shot of getting under that number this year, so splurging is the order of the day.
Even if they are done, however, the Bauer signing is enough to make the Dodgers solid favorites in the NL West again. We saw them as slight favorites over the Padres before this deal, with only two wins separating them. Replacing the 30 worst starts with 30 starts from Bauer moves the needle significantly — by perhaps three wins, depending on who you think loses the most playing time with this move.
Bauer had publicly mulled keeping contracts short-term in the past, and I think this deal represents a superior option to a string of one-year deals. He likely couldn’t secure a higher average annual value, period — he’ll be the highest-paid player in the game in both 2021 and 2022. Securing an extra option year is likely worthless, but if he tears his UCL in the second year of his deal, he surely won’t hate the chance to rehab with one of the savviest organizations in the game and get paid $17 million for it.
Viewed then through the lens of savvy cap maneuvering, or netting a large pay day, or maximizing the quality of an already very good rotation, this deal checks all the boxes. We’re trained to like these sorts of signings, combining as they do smarts with a stated desire to win, a desire that is sadly often in short supply in today’s game. But it’s hard not to look at this through another lens, one that prioritizes accountability and how we treat one another over moving up the win curve, and find it wanting. Trevor Bauer got a clever deal, one befitting the sort of person and pitcher he sees himself as. He got paid. The Dodgers got better. I’m just not sure baseball did.
Ben is a writer at FanGraphs. He can be found on Bluesky @benclemens.
Thanks for the balanced take, Ben. Much appreciated.
It’s totally balanced. It just starts with the negative, which is all true. This is a dude who is so thin-skinned he goes after anyone who criticizes him- that would have played well in NYC! He’s also a good pitcher, and will make the Dodgers better, probably, and this is also presented in the article. I think the author got the order exactly right- examining why you would or wouldn’t be a fan, then doing some graphs. That’s what I’m here for!
Whether I agree or disagree, I think “Balanced” is the last word I would ever use to describe this article.
Says more about you than the author.
Agreed. It’s not the word “I” would use to describe the article, not saying you or anyone else needs to have the same opinion or description.
Balanced would at least include both sides of the stories. This article says “Bauer takes offense at some perceived slight on social media” but doesn’t actually describe what happened. We’re just supposed to take the author’s word that it’s only “perceived.”
I won’t even argue the point. Nor will I argue the author shouldn’t say it the way this article says it. Opinion pieces are appropriate on sites like this. It’s just inappropriate to call it journalism or balanced or objective. That’s okay, because it doesn’t have to be. It’s one-sided commentary.
Not everything has to be absolute, nor should we be unable to compartmentalize different types of critiques at a piece of content. We don’t have to think the author is wrong to say the article isn’t balanced. It’s not balanced, but that doesn’t mean Ben is wrong.
seriously… on a baseball statistics site, the author uses half his words to trash the player. Says a lot about the author. He’s likely a snowflake who needs a safe space.
hmm…he openly makes some (fair, though perhaps debatable) criticism and you whine about it. Who is the snowflake, now? Ya might wanna look in the mirror about that if you can’t take reading some minor criticism of a guy I take it you like.
Completely agree. If I wanted to read an opinion from a whiny snowflake I would go to Twitter. Stick to baseball Ben, try to keep your social justice opinions to yourself.
“Whiny snowflake” is apparently “anyone who I disagree with”…not the person *whining* in the comment section. Got it.
This article is straight off an entertainment blog like TMZ, US, or People. What a waste of time.
Fan things, and then graphs- hey that’s the name of the website! 😀
I can’t say I’ve followed everything he’s said on Twitter, but it felt like the article was trying to portray him as a misogynist which seems highly unlikely given that he is one of the only mlb players (and the first) to hire a female agent who by the way helped him become the single highest paid player in the game for each of the next two seasons.
Having a female agent does not mean that he is not a misogynist. He may not really be a misogynist- as others here have said, he may just be unpleasant on an equal opportunity basis– but hiring a woman is not a get out of jail free card if he has a pattern of treating women unkindly.
“I’ve got female friends. I can’t be a misogynist”. – geniuses
An agent is not the same as a friend. An agent is a person who you believe will do the best job negotiating your contract. The fact that he was willing to choose a woman to play such an important role in the business side of his career (which was obviously a great decision considering what she was able to get him) does pretty much rule out the possibility that he has an inherent disrespect for women.
This is comically facile. Bigots always make exceptions. She’s “one of the good ones” or some such.
Are you implying that you think the kkk makes exceptions?
The KKK takes it to another level as a terrorist organization.
Agreed, but that doesn’t make the statement “bigots always make exceptions” any closer to reality.
Well said.
I’ll disagree there. You don’t need to respect your tools to view them as the best tools as people to view them as the best tools for the job
“(which was obviously a great decision considering what she was able to get him)”. Sadly, this is what should have been a major focus. RACHEL LUBA, I said her name. She did a great job negotiating this deal. My guess, she’ll be an agent of the future- when baseball realigns to the player value curve. Rachel Luba a name for the future.
Man get out of here with that crap.
Right back atcha.
🙄
If we’re going to doubt whether the game improved by seeing a team pay a pitcher a record AAV, an event that would likely be praised in these pages if not for his shitty behavior, it would be nice to hear an argument for what a positive free agency outcome would be for a player of Bauer’s talent and shittiness. To tack that part on at the end is disappointing and am hoping there’s a soft article extending that editorial view.
So you want him to shut up and pitch. It’s free game for anyone to say anything they want to him?
Because the only options are “shut up and pitch” or “not ever criticize anything he says ever”
We’re desperately in need of a Posting Independent Pitching metric and consequently a PIP-WAR as well. This will be the only way to isolate how big a factor his douchiness is by comparing to RA9- and FIP-WAR
“Stop canceling my canceling, man!”
Yeah, I think it was fine. The guy is a jerk. Maybe he’ll stop being a jerk, but it’s not wise to count on it.
Trombone taking one for the team by simply using the word cancel to get downvoted
It’s a very triggering word for them.
Well it seems to me the author is mad Trevor defended himself against someone who was writing false things about him. So it seems he wants Trevor to just shut up and pitch and let people say whatever they want.
It’s because Bauer is a hypocrite in the sense that he claims ‘not to care what people think’ then spends all this time and mental energy showing us he cares what people think.
He’s basically Kevin Durant but with less media savvy
Trevor Bauer is in fact noteworthy as the only baseball player who has ever had anyone say anything bad about him on Twitter. If there were other baseball players who were the recipients of negatively commentary on Twitter, it would be much easier to judge Bauer’s behavior.
Believe it or not, that’s what most adults in the public eye do.
Well, only if they are a woman, because they are too weak to defend themselves (is the implication)
I’m *shocked* that the person who thinks naming himself ballz is funny would have a take supporting Bauer’s twitter behavior.
In my experience Bauer is an equal-opportunity troller… random people on Twitter, other players, Rob Manfred, etc. And I’m sure his feelings are really hurt that you don’t like him haha
because the world needs more trolls??
But the problem is that Rob Manfred gets paid tens of millions of dollars to get criticism, and “regular” people on twitter don’t. So saying he’s an equal opportunity troller is correct, but it’s also part of the problem. Manfred has the capability to deal with it, but so many of his targets don’t, and the fact that Bauer picks on regular people on Twitter, with his fans ready to pounce at his word, is a serious problem.
Equality is not equity
How were you able to type this while wringing your hands that hard?
Wow, you are almost as sensitive as Bauer — did it hurt you to read very, very mild criticism of his crappy behavior? What are you, his dad?
Show me another article that has been so negative on FG? It’s clear the author has an axe to grind with Bauer.
There have been many. Read more.
If the treatment of Bauer seems exceptional, well, when was the last time a sizeable subset of a team’s fan base- a team desperate for success!- publicly lobbied the team not to sign the top free agent pitcher, and was visibly relieved when they didn’t sign him? That should say something about how a lot of people feel about Bauer. Sure, the author is clearly not a fan, but also, the author is reflecting why a lot of people are not fans. There may be some editorial bias, but distaste for Bauer is absolutely a part of the story around him.
Yeah. They totally ignore Curt Shilling.
It’s not that the author has a problem with Bauer specifically. It’s the way the media has become so one-note, not just about this but about everything. And baseball “alternate” media, which is like Fangraphs, BP, SB Nation, that crew, they’re in the “social justice” social media bubble (probably mostly on twitter) and as such have been completely captured by their audience–though that’s actually inaccurate, as it’s not their audience, it’s the extremely vocal minority of their audience that dictates what is acceptable to think about any given topic.
It’s not that the author is wrong or unjustified in this portrayal of Bauer, it’s a valid perspective after all, it’s just how predictable it is that I find annoying.
Good piece on a thorny subject. The contract structure is near as interesting as the deal itself. Does the added third year that probably won’t actually happen spread the *cap* hit of this deal out a little more, like the weird structure of the Hendriks contract for CHW?
Definitely. If AAV was calculated based solely on 1st 2 years, Dodgers would be right up against the $40M threshold instead of having some wiggle room. It won’t matter if Dodgers decide not to care about draft pick getting pushed back. If MLB doesn’t have an issue with CBT circumvention with this contract, it will be hard for them to find it with any.
No, because Bauer will likely opt out after his 2nd year. I view this as a 2 yr/$85M contract. (Hendriks’ 4th year is a team-option, so that’s more a spread-the-AAV indicator.) I really like Bauer (I thought he’d get 7/$200M in a normal year), but that’s a ridiculous AAV! Bauer did a solid for MLBPA.
Roster Resource now has the Dodgers payroll at $244M after $221M last year. I think Price is subsidized by the Red Sox so his $32M salary appears only as $16M on the Dodgers’ books, but I think he’s going to be moved now. I think pitching-wise, the Dodgers needed to make a move like this to keep up with SDP and NYM because after Buehler, their rotation is either past their prime or more potential than production for right now.
For essentially a 2-year deal I don’t see it as a ridiculous AAV. Trout would be worth something like $70-80M over a 2 year deal.
Bauer actually left money (AAV) on the table by including the opt outs. I’d have rather seen what he got on a 1 or 2 year deal, no opt out. Though there’s a chance teams would not have been interested in that structure just due to a $50M salary being hard to fit into most any payroll.
That’s what this contract is. It’s a 2 year $85M contract. Period. The 3rd year is pure financial manipulation to drag down the AAV for luxury tax purposes.
The important number for MLBPA is $45M in 2022. That resets the market.
Ben estimates 20% chance of Bauer not opting out by his 3rd year and that seems about right to me.
Athletes, especially pitchers are healthy and good until they are not.
Just because you state it definitively does not make it so. Period.
It is essentially two years at 85 with a player option. And yeah, the 17m is a nice safety cushion in case of injury or severe underperformance.
It’s not exactly a 2 year $85m contract unless the likelihood he doesn’t opt out is 100% which, while high, is not 100%. Having an opt out after year 1 means he gave up ‘some’ additional dollars over those first 2 seasons.
Basically, on a theoretical 2 year deal with no opt out he would get more than $85m however marginal the additional money would be.
I also think that while the $45m is significant, it’s not exactly resetting the market unless it’s a similar or better pitcher also looking for a short term deal. Cole will still be the point of comparison for long term deals.
There’s no way he’s worth more than $45M for the first year of a new contract next offseason no matter how good he is this year. While there could possibly be someone willing to shell it out, it’s much more likely he’d get less, so that first opt-out is way too risky to even consider using.
Even if it technically was a negotiating ploy by the Dodgers, they weren’t giving him any more that $85M over the first 2 years either way, and no other team would even consider outbidding that amount.
In your opinion would baseball have gotten better if they had barred a person like Bauer from playing, or do you feel he shouldn’t have been rewarded as much as he was? Loved the story btw.
That’s a ridiculous suggestion. I am a bit surprised how much he got and that perhaps it’s possible he could have gotten more if he weren’t such a Prima donna. Though it goes to show you that not all Prima donnas are treated equally.
I think the opinion is that Bauer is both a subpar human being and a good pitcher who got an interesting contract. I fail to see why so many commenters on this piece are up in arms thinking the writer is demanding they choose a side as the price of admission. That isn’t anywhere in the article. Some people are awfully (suspiciously, even) thin-skinned about any mention of toxic masculinity and shitty online behavior. Hmmm…
(Not saying you’re one, btw, just tagging off your comment to note the phenomenon.)
Subpar human being, really?
Curious to see your thoughts on whether Bonds and Clemens should make the HOF.
What does a comment asking for the author’s point of view have to do with being “up in arms” or “thin-skinned?”
My take on Josh’s comment is far away from him interpreting the question as “up in arms” or “thin-skinned”. In fact… he says as such.
I think the “not sure baseball got better” was related to the best team in MLB signing the best pitcher in free agency, leading to a more unbalanced game, as much as it was about Bauer being a sh*tty person.
It’s in the same paragraph as
> it’s hard not to look at this through another lens, one that prioritizes accountability and how we treat one another over moving up the win curve, and find it wanting
so I would beg to differ with your assertion.
Not saying that Bauer isn’t a crappy person and a troll, but your “well documented pattern” citation cites one instance, which is not how patterns work. More offensively, it’s the New York post, not a quality source by any means. Any other additional citations would be a better complement to your article, because as it is, it feels like a cheap hit piece, even though Bauer absolutely deserves criticism for his crap.
I don’t know about patterns or not but he really is a jerk.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/feb/21/why-on-earth-is-climate-skeptic-twitter-troll-trevor-bauer-mlb-most-hated-man
I’m not denying the jerk part at all, I just think Ben could have done a much better job supporting that case if he really wanted to dedicate 3 paragraphs to how bad he is.
But of course the “I don’t know how to read” crowd is out in full force with the downvotes.
Yeah, God forbid you use the Google machine to do your own research. Your laziness is not the author’s fault.
No, if an article is going to submit a contention, it’s on that author to support that contention.
This is like me saying “Chone Figgins was better than Ichiro” and you asking me to explain why and me responding with “You know how to do research!”
That would make me a look pretty silly, wouldn’t it?
Here’s some more, including the time he told somebody that nobody would miss them if they decided to “quit life”, aka kill themselves. This is from 2018, when there was talk of the Dodgers trading for Bauer. So Bauer being inflammatory and then playing the victim isn’t even some new issue, it’s a long-standing and well-recorded problem.
https://www.dodgersnation.com/why-the-dodgers-shouldnt-want-trevor-bauer-ag1214/2018/11/30/
You could argue that tagging the college student in 17 different tweets constitutes a pattern! You’re also free to do your own research, it’s easy to find:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2019/01/08/trevor-bauer-twitter-nikki-giles/2517721002/
https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2019/01/09/indians-mlb-need-to-take-trevor-bauers-harassing-tweets-seriously/
What I’m saying is that 1) I know he’s done this crap. 2) As the reader, it’s not my job to do the research 3) As the writer making these claims, it’s Ben’s job to substantiate them and not assume the audience knows anything.
Go read the even more vitriolic piece by Molly Wright on the athletic on the subject. She links to multiple examples and illustrates the pattern of Bauer’s behavior, and as a result, her article carries more weight.
“As the reader, it’s not my job to do the research.” Who told you that, the Reader Fairy? He gave you enough information to do your own research, you’re just the kind of person who wants to find fault. That’s on you.
Her article is solely about the behavior. This one is not. I don’t know why you think you’re qualified to be Ben’s editor. You’ve just shown you’re not.
Hi Everyone,
Can a modern clubhouse function with a jerk in a significant role?
Edit. Okay just found out about woman hating thing. I’m a Dodger fan…..I’d rather not have him. 🙁
So far, 3 organizations have been content to let Bauer go…
That’s not really accurate. The Reds were never going to compete with this contract offer and the Indians specialize in trading their best players
Accurate nonetheless. You just disagree.
Technically correct, the best kind of correct
By all accounts, Rogers Hornsby wasn’t a murderer, or violent, or dangerous. He was just a jerk. And because he was kind of a jerk, the Cardinals let him lead the NL in BA, OBP, and SLG (each category) every single year for 6 consecutive years and then shipped him off immediately when he had the audacity to slip to a .317 batting average. Then he put up 10.4 WAR for the Giants, who hated him so much they traded him immediately to the Braves, where he put up 9.0 WAR and where he was so despised that he was immediately sold off to the Cubs, where he proceeded to put up 11.1 WAR.
Trevor Bauer is also a jerk. He’s also nowhere near as good as Rogers Hornsby. So we’ll see how long until he overstays his welcome with the Dodgers.
I recall an enraged Bauer chucking a ball over the centerfield wall and being traded very shortly thereafter. So it’s been both financial and as a result of selfish actions and a lack of self control.
Heard about it, never as it so decided to look. Stupid adolescent tantrum aside, does anyone else think that was really physically impressive? Over the 410 sign by a lot, standing 60 feet from home. I’d guess 400 feet. Maybe more. Thinking of some of the amours Parker/Cespedes/Jackson/Puig throw, I don’t think any of them can do that. Maybe the Indians should’ve traded him to the Brown instead… Seriously, it reminds me of a video I saw of Jeff George once chucking a football the length of the field once (NOT a tantrum).
Never *saw* it.
And *famous*, not amours.
By this logic, Rickey Henderson must have been a serial killer or something.
Another Dodgers fan here. Also would rather not have him
He doesn’t hate women. An idiot reporter decided to flame him and he responded and then she cried about it. She wanted to make a scene and she did.
Which incident are you referring to? Bauer went after a female college student on Twitter at one point as well. For a guy who ‘doesn’t care what people think of him,’ he sure spends a lot of time on Twitter caring about what people think of him.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2019/01/08/trevor-bauer-twitter-nikki-giles/2517721002/
Tends to be the people who have to let others know that ‘they don’t care what people think’ to be the ones who actually care the most.
It’s just surprising to me to an extent because his agent, Rachel Luba, is very much outspoken on the issues facing women in the sports realm. Sure it’s a ‘marketing strategy’ to an extent for her as a female agent.
However, she and Bauer are long-time friends and she needed an anchor client. I’d also assume his persona/ego at an in-person level is much different than his online/public one. Which is the case with most people labeled as trolls. Heck you’re neighbor could be an internet troll and you might never know it!
I am referring to the issue with Kate Feldman. She wanted all the smoke and she got it. The other girl? Well he might have gone a little far but hard to say.
“Well he might have gone a little far but hard to say.” – is it really hard to say? I think a lot of people find pretty easy to say that, yes, yes he went too far.
It is really hard to say. I do not believe in proportionality and the notion of punching down. If you are going to talk shit to people they might surprisingly talk back. If these people didn’t talk badly about him he wouldn’t have responded. I don’t think he has to be a punching bag.
Digging up some months old tweet of a college student who said she enjoys a beer several months before her 21st birthday and putting it on blast… is going too far.
(And really, when are we going to fix this silly law that bans college juniors from buying alcohol?)
But you are right.
It is hard to say if you truly do not believe in proportionality.
I think most people do.
@ tung. I agree, that’s going too far. But let’s not pretend that the internet and Twitter follow any “proportionality” and anyone who hasn’t figured that out probably shouldn’t be engaging in internet battles.
Really? People should be subjected to a platoon of splooge-brained dudebros because they criticize a professional athletes?
You need to do some mirror-gazing, friend. You’re coming off like a jerk.
It’s not hard to say. He went too far. He even half-*** admitted he went too far while continuing to make excuses and state he was ‘standing up to a bully’ even though the beginning of the exchange was almost more playful than threatening.
Dude should stick to his drones in his free time.
Oh my neighbour is definitely a troll. Yes I’m talking about you Gary! Stay off my lawn!
I’d have mixed feelings if I was a Dodger fan, but this is not like getting Osuna or Chapman to close out games for you. He’s more like Manny Machado or Yuli Gurriel.
I have done this in the past too, and I know this about myself. But “this is a real and measurable breakout / decline, and I know better than ZiPs about it” is a trap. Sometimes you’re right, sometimes you’re not, but even if it’s only 60/40, you’re almost always losing more than you win.
I think it’s enough to say that there are only somewhere in between 5 and 9 other pitchers you’d rather have in your rotation, and that’s good enough.
Member how the dodgers have a, hmmm, questionable history of handling allegations of abusive behavior within their organization? Yeah, this definitely helps me remember
It also helps me remember how the Giants decided that Kapler was their guy after his act wore thin in Philly and the reports on his involvement in the assault coverup with the Dodgers came to light.
There should be no surprise to anyone if we continue to hear stories like Porter’s and Callaway’s come to light.
Besides the late 90’s/early 2000’s Braves (Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz), has any team rolled out 3 CYA winners before?
EDIT: After they had won that is. The Indians rolled out Kluber, Bieber and Bauer but htat was before Bieber and Bauer had won CYA
EDIT 2: Didn’t have to look very far – the 2014-15 Tigers rolled with Verlander, Scherzer (won his 1st in 2013) and Price (and for fun, the 2014 team had Porcello also, though before he won his CYA)
EDIT 3: the 89-91 Mets had Viola/Gooden/Cone, but Cone didn’t win his CYA until 94. Then the 92 Mets had Gooden/Saberhagen/Cone, but same thing
The Red Sox with Price, Porcello, and Sa……It’s a shame Sale will probably never win a CY.
Still can’t believe that Rick Porcello, of all people, has more Cy Youngs than Sale
2009 Giants had Lincecum, Zito, and Johnson. Now only one of them was good, but that wasn’t a qualification…
Good call. I always forget about Unit finishing with the Giants. One of the great “His final team was WHO?” guys.
While I agree it was harassment, I don’t really think it was sexism. Bauer is a troll, he would of harassed a male just as easily.
As a teammate everyone always talked about how much he taught them…but the Dodgers? Can you imagine if he teaches those guys something? Jeez.
Lessons in Drone Maintenance?
101 Surprising Uses for Spray-Tac?
On the first part, it certainly isn’t good. But I also do not agree that people aren’t allowed to learn and change. It is different now, and while I wouldn’t condone his behavior clearly, times have changed rapidly. Even 2018 was a lot different than it is now. All kinds of baseball players have abhorrent tweets. Probably every single player (and even person) has something in their background that would cause people to root against them if it came out. That doesn’t seem right. What are we even doing?
Bauer seems like a jerk, and has some views (if I an even call them that) on political/social issues that are quite bad, but to think he shouldn’t get a big contract because of that is downright silly. You don’t have to root for your favorite team to sign him, but this is silly. Internet language has changed a lot, and his has as well. People learn from their mistakes. Troll? Yes. Harassment? Probably. But the first paragraph isn’t good, and overall this is good for baseball. We need to look at this from a baseball perspective. Overpaid? Probably. But unless you are rooting for the owners, it is a net positive.
In regards to the contract, he is betting on himself. Scherzer did something in a similar manner before, and I feel like people thought it was a mistake, and he turned out to end up getting underpaid, somehow. Bauer isn’t Scherzer, but if he has another dominant year, and a new CBA, who knows what happens. He also likely has an insurance contract. I for one applaud the contract from his POV, to say nothing about what he stands for.
I’m a Bill James disciple and Dave Cameron fan and neither would have written this article. I’m glad someone at FG did. Kudos Ben.
I wouldn’t have written it either.
I’m not sure it’s a good thing that fangraphs is slowly becoming late Deadspin (but still actually enjoys sports, mostly)
Fully agreed. It’s about time. It’s amazing how many of the followers are so upset by this article when no one has actually wronged any of them…they’re just upset that one of “their own” has been called out.
Also, I know that Trevor Bauer values his freedom and whatnot, but I have to wonder: Is this better or worse than getting a Greinke or Price-like $200-$220M guarantee up front?
Let’s say he opts out after year 2, and is coming off a 4.2 win season as ZiPs projects. At that point, he’s 32 years old. Is there anyone coming off a 4.2-win season or close to it, at 32 years old or close to it, who is going to give him that money? Zack Greinke came off a 5.3 win season and got a $205M contract in the best free agent year in MLB in recent memory, potentially ever, and the contract was considered an albatross almost immediately (ironically, though, he’s pitched pretty well the last couple of years). Strasburg got $245M at age 31 coming off a 5.6 win season, which is close enough, except Bauer would be a year older. Also, that’s the other “best free agent market ever” contender. I’m not seeing these as likely, although these two things are probably what Bauer envisions happening.
Yu Darvish got $126M at age 31, coming off a 3.7 win season, although that was spread out over 6 years. If he matches his ZiPs projection, this is probably his best case scenario, since he’d be a year older but performed slightly better. Darvish was the best pitcher that year on the free agent market, by far; his competition in 2022 would be determined by how well the players recover from injury (Sale, Clevinger) or keep dominating (deGrom). So it’s more likely that you could see Bauer looking at a Darvish-type deal. But in that case, $126M + $85M is…a $211M deal. So, equivalent to the $200-$220M guarantee posited earlier.
(Of course, it’s possible that no one was was willing to give him that kind of guarantee to him, especially since he’s so difficult to deal with. Teams might want to be able to move on from him after 3 years if they have to)
Even if the total value ends up being comparable, he’ll be more than happy to have it heavily front-loaded. At sums that big, time value of money really matters.
And who knows? As mentioned here, Bauer has shown flashes of dominance before. Maybe it sticks this time, and he opts out after 2 years, and gets another big deal. All good things for baseball.
Yu contract +the banked 85 mill is 210
I highly doubt he received any offers of the 6+ year, ~$200M variety.
I don’t believe he had many suitors either. Let alone some offer of 6+ years.
I have the feeling he also really wanted a huge aav and the only way to get there was a shorter deal.
Maybe he intends to quit early and enjoy life while he’s close to factory mint?
Not every high level athlete enjoys life as a high level athlete.
He might take stock of his life at 32 and decide to walk away.
If you look outside the ports world there are lots of “stock option millionaires” who cash in their vested stock and walk away from their jobs to travel, raise a family, have a life.
His career has been…tumultuous…and teams don’t seem to have enjoyed having him around as much as they’ve enjoed his (recent) performances. Maybe he hasn’t either.
Maybe he takes his after tax $50-69M (or whatever) and says “shove it”.
I’m in the camp of being inherently biased against Bauer because he comes across as wholly obnoxious (and not in the “baseball needs villains” kind of way). He brings Barstoolian levels of toxicity to a game that has a dark and disgusting history towards women.
And on the field, he’s a cheater. Point blank. I’ve worked with pitchers for years in the Player Development process. His spin rate increases are in no way natural. Yes, pitchers often find means and substances to get an edge, but not to the level of egregiousness that Bauer has.
He’s spoken about this topic at length, and I fully believe that with what (and who) he has at his disposal, he was able to find something before everyone else to drastically alter his pitch properties in a contract year. I’ve always found modest workarounds harmless. I don’t think what I’ve seen personally has been nearly as gamebreaking as what Bauer does – but I do hope the league cracks down at some point, because he will not be the only perpetrator.
As for the deal, it is what it is. He has cashed in and accrued a pretty significant contract. I don’t believe he’s sustainable or worth that kind of money – but, it’s hard to complain about the financials when we finally see a team exceed the luxury tax threshold for 2021. The Dodgers-Padres race to the top is going to be exhilarating.
The Dodgers are the best fit for Bauer. Their rotation was already stacked and there will be much less pressure on him in that rotation than there would be with the Mets. He can blend in and it won’t be held against him as harshly if he once again is barraged with injuries, can no longer use the substances he is using, or simply does not perform up to his contract’s worth. There’s simply less pressure when surrounded by that level of talent, and it feels like a safety net so he doesn’t have to worry about exposing himself in the event things go wrong. And at three years, the Dodgers themselves may be avoiding some real down years in Bauer’s 30’s.
I’m pretty shocked people are flocking to defend Bauer’s crap personality but don’t mention how he’s obviously cheating by doctoring the baseball. After accusing Gerrit Cole and others of the same “crime.” Just breathtaking hypocrisy. Yet few seem to care. If you had a friend who behaved like Bauer does — both a loudmouth jerk and a hypocrite — how much would you defend him? I really don’t get some people’s comments.
It’s easier for fragile white sports fans to hit the downvote and move on. I figured most sports fans would overlook Bauer’s abuse towards women and his bullying rhetoric.
But, like you said, people seem to not care how blatant of a cheater he is. I don’t get it. The second that Houston scandal came out, everyone and their mother was rushing to learn how the video rooms, cameras, technologies, sign stealing systems etc. all worked. And then here’s this guy who’s completely unlikable and harasses people on Twitter, who *also* is cheating in a not so subtle way….how do they turn an eye to that?
I’ve been doing this a while. The most I’ve ever been able to help a pitcher naturally with spin is 100-400 RPM. The rest generally is attributed to foreign substances, which all pitchers use. But Bauer is rubbing it in. He knows what he’s doing and got a Cy Young and contract out of it. Yet, again, people don’t care because he embodies the personal feelings most white insecure sports fans have.
You cannot be serious with this white/whiteness rhetoric you’re spewing. If the jerk store is running low, it’s because they’re out of Bauer’s and you.
White fragility is real, friend. Bauer often expresses it. Baseball is a predominantly white from the top down, which is why there are so many problems with it. Jared Porter, Mickey Callaway, etc. are not exceptions, they are symptoms of the white cishet patriarchy that reigns over the league.
You haven’t spent time in clubhouses. I have. You have no idea how deep it runs and how lack of diversity is toxic for the industry on multiple levels. Bauer is white fragility personified and someone who prides themselves on being the contrarian because he’s a common troll.
And fans who don’t want to hear about it are largely white. Why? Because you feel you don’t need to. White people undermine and mitigate these issues because it is inconvenient and forces them to accept parts of themselves that they don’t want to. What Ben said is hugely important in this article, and people disturbed or bothered or uncomfortable with it reek of whiteness.
This was almost a response that gained traction for me, given some explanation of real clubhouse experience (though I have spent some minimal time in clubhouses and press boxes), until you went back to your sweeping generalization about an entire race. “White people (fill in the blank)” is no different than saying “Mexican people (fill in the blank)” or “Black people (fill in the blank)”. It’s never accurate to label an entire race in this way.
Also, if you’re using “you” specifically pointed at me, you’re wrong. I don’t feel I don’t need to hear about it. I feel I do. I just feel I need to hear something objective, not something that is clearly biased and over generalized with zero room for any variation, because that’s not how the world works, in my humble opinion.
Sincerely,
One of your downvoters
Here’s the problem – you chose to take it personally and make it about all white people. At no point did I say “all white people are xyz.” I’m white. I’ve worked in baseball. To me, when people choose to take that as some kind of generalization, it speaks to some level of fragility. Baseball taught me and showed me a lot about the harm that an environmental totally free of diversity or accountability can result in. This is subject matter I deeply care about.
When I say baseball has a whiteness problem, it doesn’t mean everybody. And I don’t feel the need to have to explain that, because I’d hope most people would understand. This is a major issue with society at large. You don’t need to run and defend yourself. I don’t know you. If you choose to take it personally, I’m not sure what to tell you. At no point did I intend to direct any personal insult towards you. The point I wanted to make was that the reports about the Jared Porters and Mickey Callways of the world in recent weeks…that’s the tip of the iceberg and some of the worst case instances. And no, I am not directly comparing Bauer to those two – that is apples and oranges. But, the problem with whiteness in baseball is not exclusive to the worst-case stories that ESPN and The Athletic cover.
We hear only fragments in the public of what really goes on. Sometimes it’s white players being awful to women at bars after games or coaches making racist jokes towards Black players in the dining area in front of everybody. Is it always the white players and coaches? Of course not. But, this game and front office are so white-dominant that it represents the institution. It is the majority. And you don’t have to have worked in baseball to know who’s at the top of front offices and who makes the hiring decisions – there’s plenty of publicly available supplemental reading on this topic. From my experience, some of the most disgusting things I’ve ever heard on the job were when a woman was working in an opposing dugout or when a roving coordinator who happened to be a woman visited to do her job. It’s abhorrent. It’s lasts all day long and it’s uncomfortable.
There are major, major institutional problems – and I just feel, again, Bauer is an adequate embodiment of the overarching theme. Bauer has demonstrated, time and time again, that he represents a very petty level of fragility – particularly online. Ben put it better than I ever could in his piece. He has predominantly targeted women on Twitter and sent his mob after them. There’s a power dynamic he abuses. If we’ve learned nothing in the past four years – it should be that words matter. What we say matters. The larger the platform, the more responsibility there is to do the right thing. We are not owed every celebrity to act as some role model, but they should be held to accountable for their words and actions.
And personally, I don’t take any joy in really celebrating or acknowledging someone that I feel has caused a lot of needless harm towards others. I gave my on-field thoughts on this also. And I won’t repeat them verbatim. But, he is a cheater. Like I said, and I’m just one person, but I’ve never seen anything like what he did in such a short period with his spin rate. Teams are frantically trying to figure out how to help players improve their spin. It’s been widely thought of as something you can’t really teach. You can enhance it with substances, but the most success I’ve personally witnessed with grip modifications and Edgertronic sessions are minimal in comparison. It doesn’t make sense. It’s clear he’s cheating – and blatantly as well. He has resources that are very ahead of the curve on a lot of these matters. So, not only is he an incredibly toxic personality, but he’s rubbing it in our faces about just how easy it is to get away with it and to get paid for it. I don’t like that precedent. I don’t like that there’s teams who have literally hired chemists to replicate this. And I don’t like the precedent it sets for an already sticky subject (pun not intended).
So, issues with Bauer are not exclusively about his toxic attitude.
And I admitted outright – I am a bit biased. I don’t like Trevor Bauer. I wouldn’t be able to write an objective piece like Ben did, covering the story in an appropriate way. And I don’t get paid to do that. I’m sure nobody will read this or just post TLDR – to which, I don’t care. I think it’s important that when a player signs a high-profile contract, that he is held accountable in some form or fashion. This will be high-traffic article for FanGraphs, so it is important to analyze this from all angles, on and off the field. I’m sure more mainstream outlets won’t even bother to touch this. And for me personally, I wanted to use the very small and pointless voice I have in the comments section to elaborate on why I think he represents the issue of whiteness in baseball. It of course was not meant to generalize any one race, but I stand by what I said. I don’t think this is great for baseball.
I read your first paragraph and then stopped because this is ludicrous. I didn’t choose to make it about all white people. You did. If I say “Black people are a problem because they _____”, and then repeat it numerous times, I don’t get today “Oh, no, not YOU, I meant other black people, not ALL black people. Why are you making this all about YOU,” when a black person calls me on my BS.
Just stop.
Alright, man. Look. You’re a member here. I really thought you would be interested in an important dialogue. You said yourself:
“I don’t feel I don’t need to hear about it. I feel I do.”
So I tried. What you were told by Ben was subjective. He didn’t make anything political like I am doing – he covered an athlete signing from all angles, which is his responsibility. Bauer is a high-profile player with a problematic history that needs to be documented. What I’ve laid out is also real and I tried to be thoughtful. And I’m by no means an expert. But I try each day to learn more about these issues.
And I didn’t make any comments about race until someone commented under me who was clearly uncomfortable that anyone dare criticize a lousy person. If you somehow thought I was speaking about you or your insecurity, maybe that’s a you problem? If you truly felt guiltless, you probably wouldn’t have taken the time to be so defensive. Also – straight white folks aren’t an oppressed group, and can’t victimize themselves. Your comments, again, reek of insecurity. You have chosen not to hear anything unless it is catered and spoon-fed to you just the way you like it:
“I just feel I need to hear something objective, not something that is clearly biased and over generalized with zero room for any variation, because that’s not how the world works, in my humble opinion.”
Actually, unlearning and re-learning works by being confronted by uncomfortable realities. You say you feel you need to hear something to learn about it – but you don’t like it because you decided to take it personally. You won’t even read past the first paragraph of someone who did genuinely try. You don’t want to learn, you want a pat on the back and a thank you for not being racist or misogynistic.
And frankly, your most recent reply makes no sense. I’m not going to try and pretend to understand what you’re attempting to paraphrase or how it in anyway refers to me. What I said is true. Lots of white sports fans want everyone to “stick to sports” because it’s inconvenient for them to be confronted with dialogue about how non cishet males are inherently disadvantaged and discriminated against in this environment. The world doesn’t work that way. Offering the option of apathy allows people not to care. Maybe you can afford to not care, but millions of others can’t.
I was speaking about what the baseball landscape is. Fact, not opinion. There are much more articulate folks than I, on FanGraphs and beyond who have written phenomenal pieces about it. If you disagree, prove me wrong and show me that the workplace environment in baseball is diverse, open-minded, and cognizant of those of all orientations/race/walks of life. It’s not. Baseball is a white cishet male-dominanted sport. Top to bottom. And that causes lots of very bad problems. And Bauer is a representative of what’s wrong with the system, with how he manipulates and abuses his power and influence.
I guess I should’ve taken you by your username. You’re a Dodgers fan. Congratulations on your new pitcher and your very exciting baseball team. It is great for you that Trevor Bauer will never quote tweet and send people after you. It’s great that nobody in a sports locker room will sexualize you or refer to you by a racial slur. I just wish everyone would be as welcome in that workplace as you inherently would be. That’s the whole point. I’m not going to waste my time further. I said what I wanted to, and was unexpectedly downvoted for it because people want every issue to be about them. But it’s fine. I’m not going to waste my time with you further – but I deeply hope one day you make a true effort to see the situation for what it is instead of making it all about you.
Haha, you’re a poker and a prodded, I get it. You made numerous sweeping judgements, and then tried to backtrack. You try to get under my skin by calling me insecure, but you won’t get a reaction from me on that. I simply don’t care what you say value me personally, you don’t know me. I have my read on you.
The only time I though you may be talking about me was when you said “you”. I addressed that.
My father was born and raised in Japan. My mother was an evil whitey. I identify as both.
It’s because you presume to know people, and then bucket everyone into your narrow view, and then try to twist and manipulate what other people say, and then claim what you said isn’t really what you saidn that I don’t want to bother any further with you. In other words, I’m not engaging in dialogue with you because as they say, arguing with a fool proves there are two.
All that said, I’m sure you’re a fine person. Good luck in life.
This is my final reply to you. You haven’t quoted me one time. You’ve paraphrased. You’ve ignored any and all criticism and deflected.
Honest to god, you pay to be a member of this website. You support a platform that provides industry-leading analysis and discussion, yet you’re so afraid to engage in any way that doesn’t meet your narrative. You can’t quote me, provide examples, anything.
I’m so confused. And here you are, unable to even type a message without spelling and grammatical errors abundant. Like, where’s the reading comprehension? Look dude, I didn’t backtrack. You cannot quote me one single time where I said “all white people.” Why are you so sensitive? Why is the topic of discussion that YOU heavily made about race, when it was simply a passing comment by me in response to someone else.
If you are denying white privilege exists, I don’t know what to tell you. I truly don’t. You haven’t made a poignant remark. All you’ve done is remark on outrage about race generalization, which hasn’t even happened. Nor have I backtracked any comments I’ve made. I don’t get why it harms your ego so much that I said Bauer represents a dark part of the game that non-inclusiveness. The only people who ever complain about addressing these issues are inconvenienced white people. Because it’s scary to be confronted, you think it’s an assault on you, it’s not. It’s the truth.
I truthfully don’t understand. I tried. The passive aggressive “haha” and trying to insult me personally just feels regressive. I tried because I respect that you’re a paying member and possibly an intellectual who could exchange in a discourse with me. Evidently, I was wrong. It’s all very Trumpian and if you wish to exist in that bubble, so be it. I won’t be a part of trying to solve the problems of fragility and anger that reside inside you.
I’ve taken time tonight because you said you wanted to learn. Then you didn’t like what you heard. That doesn’t go over well in real life. But hey, it is what it is. Best of luck to you also.
Dude you literally described basically every business. This isn’t some baseball only thing. Wall Street? Corporate America? And I hate to break it to you, but this isn’t some white American thing either, racism/sexism is everywhere. I live in Colombia, and racism here makes America look like (insert a country you think isn’t racist/sexist here).
But regards to the “cheating”. So what? If everyone else is doing it, and he knows it (as he probably does) and he felt the only way to even the playing field was to cheat as well then good. As a competitor if you knew deep down you could be as good as the best pitchers in the game, and you knew they were cheating (and the MLB doesn’t care), what would you do?
I didn’t say racism doesn’t exist in other places. This is common in corporate America. There are few things worse than the Wall Street Bros in New York. But, this is a baseball website. I’ve worked in and around it. That is the subject matter at hand. Racism is everywhere. But, I’m talking about this particular instance.
I explained my issues with the extreme measures Bauer is taking in another comment. It isn’t just another example of a dude using lots of bullfrog. If any of my indications are right, this is something chemically engineered. If Bauer hadn’t done it, someone else would have. Others will try this year and for years until the league cracks down. But in this case, it’s Bauer who did it, won a Cy Young, and cashed in on it. I don’t like it. I never said I don’t see why he didn’t do it. He did it to cash in and because he knows the system is so broken that there’s countless workarounds. I just hope the league cracks down and stops enabling people who will abuse the system for as far as they can.
Bauer may be a douche bag, lots of baseball players may be douche bags, lots of PEOPLE may be douche bags, but when you decide to blame it on his race, you’re a racist. GTFO
Uh-oh, another snowflake. Do us a favor and melt away.
I actually don’t like Bauer at all (go Padres!), but did you consider that Bauer’s coaches might be better than you are? And that he might be better than your players?
Absolutely. And that’s a fair point. I didn’t mean to lean on my personal experience as if I’m some expert. But at the same time, this is league-wide dialogue. Read any high-level blog about how to generate high spin rate – whether it be through here, Driveline’s blog, etc. – this is a very unnatural occurrence. Spin isn’t something you can manufacture to this extent. It’s not something you can really teach, beyond sessions focusing on your grip through Edgertronic video.
Again, I’m just one dude who did this for a while. I totally don’t want to discredit real professional coaches who have been in and around the game for a decade plus. But I’ve worked with lots of those people through many organizations, and the consensus generally reads the same. The probability Bauer is working with someone like a professional chemist is high (like I said, even teams are hiring for this to cheat) and it’s having drastic effect. It’ll catch on at some point. But I’m confident that, even despite good coaching (which helps a lot!) this is a highly suspicious case. And he hasn’t been shy about insinuating that he could probably get away with a lot himself. 100-200 spin, I’d just sit back and see. But it’s truly outrageous.
Guys, I think r24j works in professional baseball
my guess is r24j is a writer who has had access to baseball organizations in that capacity. How many scouts, coaches and analysts out there do you think are able and want to waste hours lecturing strangers online?
correct, r24j worked in pro baseball up until very recently.
I’m not a big fan of pulling rank but r24j backs it up with an argument that I believe. I just don’t know that this matters to the Dodgers since there seems to be no policing of this matter at all.
It’s fascinating to me the reputation that Bauer has for being an athlete that simply responds to what fans say in roughly the same way that fans talk. We all know how big time athletes are talked about on Twitter or Facebook. We all know how guys like LeBron or Tom Brady are treated online. Ask any fan about any player with a big contract; check out Twitter mentions for any player in a slump. Fans are TERRIBLE when it comes to ‘accountability and how we treat each other,’ when talking about athletes, who are human beings. It’s truly appalling and everyone knows it.
So here comes Bauer, who essentially talks back with the same tone of any average guy calling into talk radio or venting online. And everyone treats him like a villain. Maybe he is! But what does that make us? And why do we expect more of him than we do millions of sports fans every day?
Did you not read the first few paragraphs? Bauer isn’t just talking to fans – he sends armies after people (predominantly women) who dare as even slightly disagree with some toxic comment he’s made. We need less white fragility in baseball – and Bauer brings it by the bucket full. People think that’s some political agenda, but it’s not. Baseball is at it’s best when it is welcoming to everybody, and people don’t use their great power and reverence to keep others at bay. The player doesn’t owe it to us to be an upstanding human being – but in his position, I feel most individuals should feel some sort of responsibility? That’s just me. It leaves my stomach turning knowing a troll who is really divisive among teammates and is pretty blatantly terrible to women just made a lot more money than he’s worth
Because he has half a million followers he can direct implicitly or explicitly at a single individual.
Ashlandateam, your comment is basically “what’s the difference between a person who is famous and powerful, and everyone else? I can’t tell!” You should stop.
Look at the downvotes we have all accumulated. Sadly, this is the problem. The problem with whiteness and fragility is not just exclusive to athletes, owners, coaches, personnel, etc. It trickles down all the way to fans who are uncomfortable being confronted about their privilege. That’s all this comes down to. Bauer is a Exhibit A for an extremely problematic person who has abused their power dynamic. There’s not even a debate. I hope some people can wake up and see this landscape for what it is.
Trickles down? We aren’t talking about the economy. It trickles up from every other aspect in life. People are making a mountain out of basically nothing. Bad comments? Yes. Canceled for life? No.
People who irresponsibly utilize their platform to harm others do not deserve to have that platform any longer.
What sports, and society at large, requires more of these days is accountability.
That’s it.
bad trickle down joke i made
“Everyone who disagrees with me is just a fragile white person! There is no debate! Also, I am not a racist at all. I’m proudly “anti-racist”!”
I’ve never heard someone use “anti-racist” as an assault towards me. If that’s the worst you’ve got…thank you!
Also, I never said that. Wonder where you dug up that quote.
I am paraphrasing you. If you didn’t understand me, my point was that someone who accuses everyone who disagrees with him (by the way, on non-racial issues) of being a fragile white, is a racist.
I didn’t call anybody racist. If you choose to think that, it may say more about you than me. I mean, you can’t even direct quote me and use baseless paraphrasing.
I did say white sports fans can be fragile. Which, based on how this thread ended up, I was right.
You don’t know what the word means, douchebag.
The internet is literally the embodiment of white fragility. In 2021 that’s basically the whole damn web. The downvotes aren’t too surprising.
Didn’t Lebron recently get back pats for trash talking some courtside fans who were giving him crap? Good for him and good for Bauer.
If you think talking trash back at chirping fans and inciting an online mob of almost 500k people against women you selectively target is the same thing, not sure what to tell you.
Sounds like you have a double standard that you’re happy to stick with.
No double standard. If someone is targeting harassment towards you, by all means say something to them one-on-one and hve security remove them. Bauer wants to humiliate you to 500k people and have them send you death threats via DM. Not the same!
Good guys clap back at Karens to the delight of their twitter followers. Bad guys sic their twitter army on women.
As long as we’re at it, “you can never have too many good pitchers” is about to be put to the test in a major way. Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, and David Price are the #5-#7 starters. I know Kershaw and Price get hurt a lot but unless someone is hurt right out of training camp it’s wild that the Dodgers are the team who won the bidding on this. Are they going to make one of these guys a fireman or something?
Price has to be gone, I figure.
In 2019, Maeda, Urias and Stripling were the #5-7 starters for the Dodgers so I don’t see it as being too different.
The Mets could have replaced their much-worse-than-the-Dodgers “30 worst starts” with the NL Cy Young on a three year deal with multiple opt outs. How much more would that have moved the needle for them, as opposed to how much it moved the needle for the Dodgers?
The difference between yesterday’s Mets fan euphoria about their rotation when it was rumored they signed Bauer, and today is stark.
They quickly forgot Cohen said they wouldn’t go crazy spending.
Dodgers have the Padres arms race; the Mets don’t. They also have Thor coming back.
I was going to make the same point. Bauer would have been GREAT for the Mets, but for the Dodgers, only very good. Frankly, re-signing Turner might be worth almost as much for the Dodgers (considering the alternative) but at lower price… although they look like they will do both, so there you go!
Wait to see how tbdy follow up.
Do they move Price for salary relief to pay Turner?
Do they move Gonsolin or May for a young 3B or other bat?
It’s not opening day yet.
He’s a good pitcher, but $85 million over the next 2 years good? It is hard to imagine the Dodgers will get anywhere near that kind of value out of him, especially since they are not an organization that will pitch him every fourth day.
Bauer has pitched in 9 major league seasons, and in only 2 of them has he had an ERA below 4.18. One of those two seasons he played about 4 1/2 months of baseball because of an injury, and the other he played about 2 months of baseball because of Covid-19. In that 2 month season, yeah, he was great, but the teams he faced in his 11 starts ranked the following in OPS: 30th, 30th, 25th, 25th, 24th, 24th, 24th, 21st, 21st, 20th and 8th.
And this take is not based on being anti-Bauer on a personal level — I actually like that he engages with fans and has opinions that he is not shy about sharing.
Well, there’s this thing called “the sticky stuff”, dunno if you’ve heard of it.
Bauer saw what it did for Cole while he struggled to master the nuances of MLB pitching. A perfectionist and individualist among other things not worth discussing in a baseball forum, but above all a realist.
First he called out Cole and tbe Astros for doctoring the ball.
Nothing happened. Cole got his nine figures and a lot more.
So he “experimented” with same and openly revealed what it did for him.
Nothing happened.
So, since, *nobody cares*, he adopted it and doesn’t bother to hide it.l
(With all the esearch on seam wakes and angles, has anybody bothered to look at what sticky stuff does to seans? He did.)
The Dodgers *know* what tbey’re getting.
They ‘re getting the Bauer with the good stuff. The sticky stuff. The stuff thst doesn’t card who is flayling away at tbe doctored ball.
Not the old clean Bauer.
He gets his nine figures and a lot of choices on how to live his life.
And the Dodgers don’t care.
Why should we?
Exactly. Bauer determined that once again, the owners don’t care unless it is bad for business. It clearly appears to be a case of, ” if you can’t be ’em, join ’em.
Thanks for this, Ben. Friendly correction: Bauer threw 175 IP in 2018; he threw 213 the following season.
I see the first opt out as much more likely than suggested on the article. If Bauer can get this deal rolling through a pandemic off of one amazing shortened season, he could easily surpass it with another elite season. If he puts up a 5-6 WAR season and opts out, would the Dodgers not give him the same $45 million, or more, along with more downside incentive than just $17 million? I have to think yes.
I play fantasy baseball. I am just here for the numbers. I couldn’t possibly care less about who they are as human beings. That being said, I don’t begrudge someone else disliking a player. It’s just irrelevant to me and my motivations.
https://fantasy.fangraphs.com/
Big.
While this probably improves the Dodgers, it most likely does only slightly. Urias, May and Gonsolin, combined salary, (+ or – $5M), are not chopped liver and I can see a scenario where the Dodgers are paying, ($40M – $5M = $35M), for 1 or 2 wins and that doesn’t seem like a good move. The wild card is Price. This move strongly hints that the Dodgers know that he is not going to pitch this year, or ever again. I will be most interested in how many innings the Dodgers just paid Bauer for because this is really a 2yr/$85M deal in an era when starters are being yanked after they give up a single in the 6th. He has stated that he wants to start every fourth day but I think he can toss that idea into the trash.
Exactly! Gonsolin and May would be mid-rotation types for nearly nay other team in baseball, but now they will be depth only. Good speculation on Price!
Fair points, but this move was made with more than regular season wins in mind. Upgrading their top 3 starters significantly will have outsized value in playoff series.
I would think this move was motivated much more by an attempt to win the division rather than end up the wild card team.
They already had a good postseason rotation last year (they just won the WS in a year where LDS and LCS had no off days) and they’ll presumably be gaining Price. How much better does Bauer really make their postseason chances?
In the regular season though…they are so closely matched to their only real competitive opponent in their division. Adding an extra 2 or 3 regular season wins could mean the difference between a 99-win division-leading season with an easier postseason route and a 96-win wild card spot with a brief postseason appearance.
Yeah that’s a good point, I think both of those are part of the motivation
Where else could they have spent that money to upgrade the team without a long term committment?
Long term being key.
Nobody knows if there even will be a ’22 season because of the looming strike, much less what ’23 and beyond will look like.
There’a reason teams are dishing out all those one year deals.
The Dodgers probably *hope* he opts out.
The obvious answer is Justin Turner, who would have cost less and probably improved the team more given the glaring hole at third base.
I wonder if Price and his $16m AAV cap hit can be dealt to a team with salary cap room for something further beneath the cap. Like the Brandon McCarthy/Matt Kemp deal they did with the Braves a few years ago.
If I were a team that wasn’t near my spending limit, I would definitely take Price and his $16M cap hit with, say, and FV45 prospect, maybe even an FV40+. But the Dodgers have been so used to getting teams to do favors for them to stay under the tax line that I think they’re looking to package him with, say, Luke Raley.
I was already rooting against the Dodgers and signing Bauer just adds to my interest in their failure. I am one of those people who really enjoys when “bulletproof” “juggernaut” teams fail. That’s a lot more interesting to me than watching a cakewalk to a title. The late-era Bulls were kind of dull, even if Jordan was still a joy to watch. A few observations: 1) Mets fans are probably pretty bummed; 2) More people should be talking about Bauer’s obvious use of foreign substances, and what will happen if the league catches him; 3) it’s better to live in a sports-journalism ecosystem that talks openly about Bauer being both a subpar human being and also a very good pitcher. I like the holistic approach. Living in a society is inherently political, and there’s no reason we should pretend sports is some kind of apolitical pocket dimension.
The league “catches him”?
They *know*.
He’s told everybody he is doing it, just as Gaylord Perry told everybody he was (literally) spitballing it.
They. Don’t. Care.
I really don’t get all of the personal hate and attacks. The specific you referenced in this story was really a harmless twitter spat. The girl started it, and she was happy to engage at first. She threw in the white flag and it took a couple of additional tweets for Trevor to stop. He did not start it, he did not look for it, he was not an angel but it was far from a horrible twitter interaction. She was pissed because he was fighting the battle many here believe in, that the Astros were bad for baseball and should have been harder hit. She was an Astro fan and did not like him. Trevor may not be the person you want to be and his view of things may not agree with you but here is a guy who has worked with others to become better ball players and who has not accepted the old network. He is fangraphs for players. Baseball goes right, he goes left to find the better route. Sometimes you are right and sometimes you are wrong but you have a chance to be better at the end. Besides his unique training methods how many other players would pick the agent he picked. He is on twitter trying to support baseball (and Trevor), baseball needs more of that not less. But like a typical American in 2021 we would rather beat up our own than find our true enemy. When players are getting smashed by owners he is firmly on the side of the players. When fans are being ignored and taken for granted he is clearly on the side of fans. So no, he is far from perfect. It is funny that the guy who wrote the article refenced about the Mets staying away from this horrible human being is the guy who admittedly supported the Mets bringing back a wife beater. Yikes, twitter thoughts and opinions are now worse than actually being a bad human being. Trevor believes in challenging the status quo, that is what fangraphs is about and what readers here like except when we are forced to examine things.
Wait he was replying to an Astros fan? The man deserves a mural!
Details, details, right?
“He did not look for it”
Seems like he did, actually.
“It took a couple additional tweets for him to stop”
That’s an interesting spin on him harassing her for over 2 days and being asked repeatedly to stop.
Maybe don’t be so damn soft that some random nobody saying that they don’t like you for calling out their favourite player means you need to harass them for multiple days. Especially when you’re so outspoken like Bauer.
If you can’t see how creepy and weird it is that he tagged a woman he didn’t know in dozens of tweets AFTER SHE BLOCKED HIM then I don’t know what to tell you. Add in the fact he went through her old tweets (creepy) and called her out for underage drinking (asshole) and accused her of “liking” him as if he’s in elementary school (creepy again). Oh yeah, and he’s a famous professional athlete who had over 100,000 followers at the time that this particular incident happened, making it even more unacceptable than it would have been had he just been some anonymous run-of-the-mill troll.
He’s also clearly not sorry that he did this and hasn’t learned from his past behavior, as evidenced by him quote tweeting a female Dodgers fan earlier this offseason who told him that LA fans didn’t want him on their team. He said something along the lines of “hey LA, I didn’t realize this person speaks for your whole fan base, is this true?” He knows exactly what he’s doing.
I’m a Mets fan who would love to see my favorite team win the World Series and signing Bauer would have raised the chances of that. But I don’t care, I’m glad they didn’t sign him.
goodness, the voting on this is out of control–like, 20 point swings in the span of an hour. It looks like someone is trying to spam the votes or something, or someone directed Bauer’s fan club to come post here.
Could we really put it past Trevor Bauer?
That would be pretty ironic.
I’d say it’s pretty obvious, and ironic is exactly the correct word.
This is obviously happening. Longtime Fangraphs readers all know it. Some examples are egregious.
I was pondering writing a bot to upvote everything ten thousand times just to make the point, but I don’t think it’s especially necessary.
I strongly dislike Trevor Bauer. And there’s nothing wrong with calling him out for the bad stuff he’s done online. And one of Fangraphs’ strengths — perhaps its greatest strength — is how it allows its writers to have fun and be creative; express themselves.
At the same time, I personally don’t think the closing line of this piece is the right way to go. Sometimes subjective lines like that have a lot of value. I see what Ben’s going for here. But this might be a case when it’s best to just show us, the readers, all the ways in which Bauer’s a scumbag, and leave it at that. You don’t need to subjectively trash the man when you can objectively (and rightfully) trash him. You can bury the jerk with facts alone. Just a thought.
The comments aren’t moderated but articles are.
Don’t necessarily blame Mr. Clemens for following editorial policy.
If Bauer signed a $90m/5 year contract with no opt-outs, is that “better for baseball”?
Unless he’s said some crazy alt right/QAnon tuff I’m unaware of, Bauer as a troll is pretty tame. “Send it” shirts, “free joe kelly” cleats, saying mean things on the internet, etc…who cares?
He’s brought pitch design and a brand to the forefront. He is pro-celebration and “let the kids play”. I don’t think the troll aspects are worth mentioning.
Again,if I’m missing something, educate me. He’s not Josh Hader, Sean Newcomb, etc.
There was a really ugly incident where someone said he was her least favorite player, and then he riled up his followers to go after her. Gave a non-apology at the end of all of it.
There were some other incidents as well but that one is the one that sticks out. I don’t really have any other problem with him; him going on a rant about how he was better than Corey Kluber (his teammate at the time!) doesn’t really bother me that much, nor the chemtrails stuff or “9/11 was an inside job” lunacy.
Hopefully he learned his lesson, but it seems unlikely.
I really don’t have sympathy for people on Twitter who had someone’s followers “go after them”. It’s Twitter. It’s a cesspool. If you don’t want to wade into the cesspool, there’s a very simple solution that you should definitely take: delete your account. If you don’t mind the cesspool, then keep using their crappy troll-filled service. Tweeting a mean thing at an MLB player and having the MLB player respond to the tweet and getting in a back and forth with the player, is like the greatest outcome of tweeting. If a bunch of trolls fans of the MLB player then send you a bunch of nasty messages that no one is forcing you to read … oh no? It’s not Bauer’s fault that twitter sucks. You can make an argument that he needed to wield his power more wisely, but the negative outcome, a bunch of “people” sending nasty messages to you on a stupid service, is so trivial to me that I don’t see why anyone should really care.
It’s idiotic to say the least to compare high school behavior to that of a veteran big leaguer, not that anything needs to be excused.
While I agree with the analysis of Bauer´s contract, I do not think it is necessary to elaborate about Bauer´s social media activity, especially if it is not balanced.He certainly is a strange/crazy/unusual (depending on your point of view) personality. But there is also some kind of responsibility to the everyday person who gets involved with Bauer on twitter. Any time you start a conversation with a celebrity, you take a chance to be in the limelight. So everyone who complains about Bauer could just not get involved with Bauer. This does not mean that I agree with what Bauer did, but when you called a TV show with a million viewers in the 80ies or 90ies or wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper you were well aware that millions are listening/reading.
Please keep this site about baseball and not about social media activities.
To an extent I agree. If he were a racist or something, that’s a different story. Which, there are plenty of those in baseball and they never get the space in their articles.
Here’s a fun fact. Politics exists everywhere, despite whether you want it to or not. Just because you can be blissfully ignorant in your day-to-day does not mean Bauer has not displayed a tremendous misuse of power on several occasions. But your instinct is to blame the victim.
“Hey – shouldn’t have bugged the big guy with the Twitter army.”
Your words matter. Yes, in some cases – the ignorant Twitter masses will be made a fool of when the time calls for it. Bauer has been malicious. He has power you don’t. He can send 420k people after you for nothing. That is not a fair power dynamic. And people with that platform should be responsible.
If you dislike content that is important to make note of so you can remain willfully ignorant, I suggest you make your own blog and run it as you see fit. You do not control these writers and the words they choose to speak with their platform.
Yes, politics are everywhere. This does not mean politics have to be elaborated on a baseball site. It was so nice when FG was free of politics.
Yes, Bauer has more power than a everyday social media user. But a truck on the street or a bouncer in a club have also more power than my tiny little car or my arm muscles. If I challenge the truck I will likely be the loser in an accident, if I challenge the bouncer I will likely get kicked out of the club. Common sense.
And there is always this old saying: “If you wrestle with a pig, your hands will get dirty and the pig will like it.” 🙂
Have a nice evening, everyone.
Baseball, nor any sport will be free of politics. There’s lots of great pieces here without it. Go read the Kyle Hendricks articles this week. They’re great. But, Bauer cannot be mentioned without this. And that is Bauer’s fault.
And your analogy is poor. You’re defending the power dynamic – which reeks of so many problematic elements. The big truck should do all in its power to stop. The bouncer should remove you safely and discreetly.
You have deemed Trevor Bauer more important than his victims. “Don’t mess with the rich, arrogant, white man because he has a legion of followers – he’s untouchable!” No. You challenge that and call that behavior out because it’s damaging to the people he’s horrible to.
So please, spare the white fragility. Spare the smiley face, as if you’ve made some poignant point here that defends the rich man in power over the people he chooses to publicize publicly and send a mob after. I guess next we’ll blame the families who have been evicted from their homes this year after losing their jobs in a pandemic because hey…should have planned better!
What’s political about calling out someone who spends a disproportionate amount of his fandom on cyber abuse towards women?
Our political beliefs are simply decency and common sense, their politics are dangerous and hateful. What’s don’t people get about this?
Dumb take.
Pretty sure this guy is Trevor Bauer pretending to be a Trevor Bauer-hater in such a stupid/obnoxious way that we take mild criticism of Bauer less seriously.
Well said. Objective analysis, a la Jeff Sullivan, made this site great. The best.
Subjective opinions have been hurting it for nearly a year.
To be fair, you meant “subjective opinions about various non-athletic components of baseball”. Because, and certainly we can all agree on this, Fangraphs has long been a site dedicated to exposition of statistically informed, subjective opinions about player valuation and baseball analysis.
You don’t like the flavor, fine. But subjective opinions about what is, and what is not, good for baseball have been the lodestone attracting our interest for years.
Apathy is no better than being an active oppressor. Just so you know.
That’s just not true. If the world was 100% apathetic, there would be zero oppression. And it’s certainly not true when you’re discussing a baseball site, where people come for baseball. It doesn’t mean we’re apathetic when not on a baseball site, where we again, come for baseball.
Yeah, Notgraphs sucked and nobody has missed it at all.
For everyone who showed up just to downvote people who have anything critical to say about Trevor Bauer, why not pre-order one of the new mugs while you’re here? Or sign up for a membership! The site could use your help and you obviously got a kick out of coming here to do that. Your support will ensure you and your friends can come back here in the future to downvote other similarly reasonable articles and comments. Support Trevor by supporting Fangraphs and thanks in advance.
Fangraphs could use your support too. How about buying a membership before admonishing others for not doing the same?
My true intent was to push those mugs. I didn’t admonish anyone in my comment. You must have misunderstood. Buy the mug.
A membership is very worth it! Come support FanGraphs and feel free to downvote me too!
Ok I see what’s happening. Stop trying to trick me into agreeing with you. It’s the last thing anyone cares about, but, I shall upvote this one.
I am glad, at least in this comment thread, that I have earned your upvote.
You can’t just leave that last line there without more of an explanation. The defining theme of this site this winter, and really the last few years has been salary suppression and players getting less and less value for their services. Now a player signs a record breaking contract and that’s a problem for baseball too? Can’t have it both ways
Well, yes you can.
“Some animals are more equal. “
“Pitchers don’t decline: they break.”
Is there an article somewhere that studies that? It’s a cool adage, and I’m just curious if anybody has attempted to quantify it. I may have missed it being distracted by politics the last few years.
I have heard this a number of times and I don’t believe it–you see plenty of pitchers lose velocity as they get older, and that matters.
My guess is that the reason why people think this is because of survivorship bias. But if there’s an actual analysis of this, I’d be interested in seeing it too.
I think it is more true if good pitchers in their 30s, especially mid to late 30s. It’s not true for marginal or so-so pitchers.
There you go; you just validated it. 😉
The saying isn’t just about 30, 33, 40 year olds; it is about *all pitchers* 17-44, 48.
We only see the survivors losing velocity. Not the thousands who break in high school, college, the minors, 20’s.
MLB grade Pitching is unnatural.
The things it does to the body…
Brrr…
I don’t care about Bauer’s behavior on Twitter or anywhere else. He has broken no laws. I am a Dodgers fan, and I am pleased about this deal. It is basically two years 85 million. Even if Bauer busts (not saying he will), it is only two years and a measly 17 million for a third year, which is pocket change in the MLB.
To be fair, he only plays that third year in LA if somethings gone very wrong. So it’s more like a potential deferral from years one and two (if we’re saying this really a two year deal).
Yes, sir, you are right. I don’t mind players getting paid; I just hate the long term deals when players are in the 4th or 5th year of the deal, and they are just sunken cost keeping the kids in the minors down.
yeah I agree with this take. While I imagine there is a lot of sense in backloading contracts, I think it would be more logical to pay more for the prime years and less for the sunset years. So, definitely lock up Betts for 12 years, but do it so that he gets paid a lot less in the end when he will almost certainly be less good than in the present. And hopefully that way, you’ll be able to slot him in productively with well-paid prime young players and he can continue to be on winning teams in his late years and not just soaking up all the payroll (ie, not Albert Pujols)
Well, the Dodgers.
For Cleveland it’s the entire OF *and* the bench.
The Dodgers surely knew what they were purchasing when they signed Bauer, both talent and personality-wise. But I think Ben would have been remiss in not mentioning it, because Bauer comes with that baggage. He’s very likely to make LA better on the field and even tougher in the playoffs. As to the rest of it, it’s a three year deal, max, and if he’s healthy and decent, it’s a two year one. FWIW, there are players we would prefer not to root for, even if they are signed to “our” team. Never could enjoy Rogers Clemens as a Yankee, and i’m sure other fans have their “least favorite” as well.
As a Dodgers fan who doesn’t like Bauer as a person, I feel conflicted.
He is absolutely a great player that makes the team better.
But considering the 5th starter Bauer is replacing is the second best player among Price/May/Gonsolin, the marginal improvement is… something close to 2 wins, and 3 wins if you are bullish on Bauer and bearish on the others.
$85M/2 years is an incredibly steep price to pay for that.
But of course, the Dodgers are more interested in what Bauer can do in the postseason rather than in the regular season.
I just hope Bauer starts acting more mature, although I’m not holding my breath for that.
Don’t read the comments.
This didn’t used to be the case on fangraphs. Our culture is broken af if people line up to defend an objective jerk because of some “culture war” they’re being fed by their echo chamber.
You’re a hater, blud.
I have been compelled to the utterly useless task of posting, feel free to downvote, but in doing so know that you are just mad…
Anyone who thinks Trevor Bauer is an epic truth-teller needs to take a hard look at themselves and then be happy knowing that no amount of drugs, head trauma, twitter, etc. could make them any more stupid than they currently are. He is a 30-year-old Baseball Player and Youtuber, a BASEBALL PLAYER and a YOUTUBER. Theoretically, one with half a brain could be either a Baseball Player or a Youtuber but not both, come on man. This man who talks like a forgetable Mike Judge character, he is your champion in the culture war? You should be ashamed of yourself. Literally, get a life.
Quality article as per standard, the fact that nobody could enjoy the truly gold comment about Posting Independent Pitching makes me sad. I return to the lurk from whence I came.
Said it better than I could have.
This one more than anything proves this was outside the normal FG audience. Creative dad data joke always sells with the regulars.
If you think Bauer is a bully on the internet just wait until you see how sportswriters treat someone who doesn’t agree with their political ideology
Who sent all the bigots to FanGraphs tonight? Yeeeesh.
It’s not just tonight. This has been a growing trend in fangraphs comments over the last 3-4 years. And, really, any social commentary has ALWAYS had a large percent of “stick to sports” folks in fangraphs comments… going back 10 years.
This is a bizarro world fangraphs comments section where the downvotes disagree with the author’s politics.
Keep our echo chambers echoing!
Sheesh, it’s amazing how much pearl-clutching this article crams in about a player who’s greatest sin is, uh……..being a dick on social media?
Almost as amazing as how many commenters are falling over themselves to be the first or best defender of the acknowleged dick on social media.
Seriously… what is it that offends you about calling a jerk a jerk?
“This stuff is really hard to get a grip on!”
ICWYDT
That’s what the “sticky stuff” is for. 😄
I don’t think he’ll opt out after 2021, but I do wonder if he could use the threat to get the Dodgers just to restart the original deal terms, guaranteeing him another $40 million. In other words, they tear up this contract and sign the exact same contract again next year.
Or maybe not.
He may not like LA any more than Price liked Boston.
It is literally his choice to make.
Jesus, Baseball site leads off with a several paragraph take on his Twitter habits. and seems to draw the primary conclusion that we should all resent this deal because of it. This site had been getting increasingly unmoored from what made it successful, it’s sad because the place that did such great work popularizing the analytical approach to baseball increasingly now seems more interested in offering societal hot takes with some perfunctory nods towards stats thrown in.
Disappointed but not surprised. I don’t know if it’s the editors or ownership, but this place was a friggen revelation when I first came here, not so much anymore , and this article is the problem in a nutshell.
I’m sorry and disappointed to hear you say that. A lot of random people are commenting today, but I’ve enjoyed your contributions in the comments overall for sure. That said, I wrote six articles this week. If you want something analytical, there’s literally an article about how year to year correlation misleads in analysis out TODAY. I don’t think anyone would argue I don’t do enough analytical pieces.
Bauer’s internet trolling is very clearly a newsworthy part of his signing. I would be remiss not to include it. Writing an article about Bauer and ignoring the elephant in the room isn’t brave. It isn’t sticking to sports, or to my strengths. Its cowardly, and ignoring obvious warts in the name of some false objectivity has always been a cop out by writers. I won’t do it because I’m not a coward. I fail to see how that makes FanGraphs a worse place.
Honestly Ben I apologize, and thank you for the response. I have had some frustration building up on the site about various editorial choices for some time, the tenor of articles has really dramatically changed in the past year to year and a half, and for some reason opening up an article that I expected to be about Bauer’s uniquely structured contract (and I do know you got there) and finding instead a big intro about how bad a social media citizen he is, and with that closing sentence as the kicker, pushed a button.
I don’t mean to be rude, and sorry that this got taken out on you, I do recognize the quality of your work and contributions to the site. Fangraphs has this unique position where it’s constantly got something new to learn about the game and it trailblazed this stuff for most of us, and I treasure it for that, I just really think some soul searching is in order for decision makers on this site about if it’s a baseball analytics site or a “baseball and society” site at it’s core. Some authors here are almost exclusively the latter these days, which at the site’s inception was definitely not the case. I understand the response will be “can’t we be both” but you can’t blame that some of us who have been reading this site for forever wonder where this is going and have been perceiving some fundamental changes.
Anyway, again, I very much apologize. This article and your work didn’t deserve my unloading this all on you!
So much that can be discussed, there; so little of import in 200 comments…
You go, sir.
Some us us realize you are just following editorial diection, sir.
But do consider that 90% of the 200 comments have nothing to do wth baseball and one has to seek the meaningful baseball comments out with a fine tooth comb, well, maybe some rethinking might be in order?
Some (most?) of us come here to escspe the intolerant sniping elsewhere and the place is turning into a free fire zone between FOXers and MSNBCers. Is there value in that?
Your writing and basebsll analysis is excellent but the editorializing? Is it really necessary?
It’s your call.
You and your bosses set the tone.
Don’t be surprised at what you get.
Now, if you want to focus on what the Dodgers do next or on doctored spin behavior…
Ben, there is nothing “brave” about taking up arms for the social-political mainstream. That is perfectly risk-free everywhere on Earth. Even in North Korea there is free speech to the extent it properly extolls the virtues of the regime and its leader. In Venezuela you are perfectly free to praise Maduro and denounce Guaido.
It would be one thing if media outlets around the country were defending Bauer or ignoring his social media activities. But they aren’t. What are you adding here, as a Fangraphs author, that challenges the broader conversation around this? What insight are you providing?
You also are creating a strawman here by implying that you had the choice to either be “brave” and address his behavior, or to “ignore” it. That’s not only false, but very contrary to the type of rational thinking Fangraphs is supposed to be about. You could have addressed it without turning your article into a pseudo-editorial against the signing, which was particularly perplexing because you did not suggest what should happen instead (Bauer take a financial hit as recompense? Bauer blacklisted from MLB? Bauer required to apologize as part of the contract?).
This direction of the site has paused me from buying a membership, which I suspect is the case for a material number of readers. I would encourage you to reflect on whether you might be able to provide appropriate context around individual character in a manner more consistent with objective and analytical thinking.
LOL.
When Ben’s opinion is so openly reviled by MOST commenters… maybe you need to re-evaluate what the mainstream take is. Instead of just labeling everything you disagree with as “mainstream”
Include it? Sure, you have to. It’s part of the story.
But to make it the lead and five paragraphs? I think that’s what comes across the most. This is the biggest free agent signing of the offseason and is effectively a new AAV record for salary if you look at it as a 2-year deal. THAT’S the story. The fact that he’s a jerk is part of the story, but it’s not the story today. The story today is the contract itself. You made a choice as an author to make the lead about his social media behavior rather than the contract itself. I personally find that choice to be disappointing, not because I like Trevor Bauer, but because I come here to read about the analytical side of baseball, not the social media conduct of a player.
Just my two cents and feedback.
the people here arguing that all the background stuff ‘had to be included’ is pretty bizarre to me. it most certainly did not at all. it could have just been contract analysis stuff. im pretty sure that a vast majority of the readers come here strictly for the analytical stuff. at least thats the impression i get from coming here and interacting with them every day for like the last 10 years.
imo theres really no ‘elephant in the room that couldn’t possibly be ignored’ or whatever.
I think it was totally appropriate to bring up his past Twitter controversies at the beginning. What didn’t make sense was your closing line. Trevor Bauer is a free agent, we all knew he was going to sign a contract with a team for a lot of money. What situation would have been “better for baseball?” If teams penalized him for his online conduct, and his market took a turn for the worse, and he only got the Jeff Samardzija contract, would that have been better for baseball?
Curious why you’re so triggered by the author pointing out a pattern of abuse towards women? You’re upset reading about the reality of an athlete, okay, imagine what it must feel like to be the victim of his harassment. You can choose to simply skim ahead; many don’t have the privilege to ignore.
@jfandom – It’s difficult to know whether you’re lying or merely hysterical. There was no “pointing out a pattern of abuse towards women,” merely the allegation of such because of a lone instance where Bauer’s contretemps happened to involve a woman. Even the linked Post article only alleged one such instance.
That someone would be repulsed by that fraudulent accusation makes sense. But in your case, why so triggered over a plain interest in accuracy and fairness?
Thank you for proving my point so effectively. For your own well-being, deep breaths…calm down.
Bye! Retreat to your safe space.
If you are mean to a guy on social media you are just a prick, if you are mean to a woman on social media you are “sexist”. Seems a little ridiculous
You’re not a victim Vinnie. Stop acting like one.
Neither are you, Luy. Stop gatekeeping victimhood
Excellent article! What a lack of parody in the NL West. Gonna call mlb.tv at the start of the season and ask em if they have a package that allows me to pay for only the Padres games vs opponents who are actually trying to win as opposed to all the tanky panky pickpocketing owners out there ruining this lovely sport…
They take baseball *seriously* in the NL west.
It’s no laughing matter.😉
(Aren’t typos fun?)
Probably worth mentioning that the youngest female agent in MLB history secured the largest contract in baseball history in terms of max single year salary . (not excusing Bauer’s behavior at all, just want to highlight the work of Luba)
“He has female friends, he can’t be a misogynist”
Good point.
I explicitly stated that I am not excusing Bauer’s behavior. Obviously someone can have a female agent, female friends, women in their family, or even be a woman themselves and still be a misogynist. I just wanted to divert some of the attention away from Bauer towards Luba, since this is a relatively historical contract, and contracts are a joint effort even if this one is for a polarizing player.
Big YIKES in these comments. Nice article.
Unbelievably awful article. Wow. This is not what I pay for. I came here hoping to learn more about a fascinating and unique contract structure. I don’t know if that was ever covered, because I gave up after several paragraphs of BS. I’ll deal with the ads and the paywall; I’m canceling my membership right now. I have no delusions about how important I am and how little that act means, but I’ll do what I can. This article was unacceptable.
The thought police have passed their judgement.
Bye!
He seems like a jerk but what about the fact he has a female agent? It’s hard to put humans in a convenient box as we’re all a combination of background and viewpoints. I may disagree with the article’s take on Bauer as a person but I appreciate the topic being raised.
The selective, largely substance-free opening (a link to the NYPost for “documentation”? Seriously?) to accuse Bauer of harassment, then harassment of women because, you know, one of the people he argued with was a woman, is repugnant.
I suppose it was inconvenient for Ben that Bauer’s agent is one of the very few female agents in baseball, so Rachel Luba goes nameless here despite have negotiated the remarkable deal that is the subject of this article.
Ben’s rules for writing, apparently: If you argue with a man, it’s an argument. If you argue with a woman, it’s sexism. And Ben pitches doing this in the name of being “honest.” That’s pathetic.
You mean being “equal” also includes being subject to criticism too? What an interesting concept.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think Bauer is particularly sexist compared to other 30 year old males in America.
But bringing up Bauer’s female agent as a defense against the claim that he is sexist is basically the same as ‘I have a black/gay friend’ defense against claims of racism/homophobia.
I wonder what LAD thought that NYM had on the table to Bauer to get them to come up with this offer. Did they get spooked and outbid themselves?
2yr/$85m seems like a big step from the 4yr/$100-$110 range that it was reported that NYM were trying to play in.
This place used to be fun.
Still is on occasion.
Having to scroll tbrough the usual red vs blue sniping and virtue signaling is NOT fun.
But the “red meat” editorializing and the followup sniping takes the fun away.
The story could’ve been about the contract, tbe agent, the Dodgers…About baseball.
Instead the day is about online jerks.
Don’t “both sides” this. Scroll through the comments and be honest about who is crying the most and the loudest and with the least compelling arguments for their crying.
Seems like you are crying the most and the loudest with the least compelling argument for your crying.
Did the Dodgers not know about Bauers rapping career?
The SJW stuff is getting old.
Does the editorial staff actively encourage it, or just tolerate it?
Has anyone every made an intelligent, compelling commenting with the phrase “sjw” in it?
I would bet a large sum of money that it’s much closer to “actively encouraged” than just “tolerated.”
not gonna lie im not really sure why all the background stuff is in this article. it just seems not really relevant to the contract analysis. the cheating/spin rate stuff is fine i think bc it does raise the question of sustainability of results which is certainly relevant in a contract analysis article.
i feel like the rest of the stuff doesnt belong here (or at the very least should be in a separate article). i am certainly willing to change my mind on that if others think its fine.
and before everyone starts downvoting and strawmanning me: im fine with bens opinion, im fine with ben voicing his opinion on fangraphs, i think all the background stuff makes for a pretty fascinating discussion and i like bens writing and articles. i just feel like if the article is ‘bauer contract analysis’ the other stuff should be left out and/or put in a separate article. a quick glance through the comments section on this article easily confirms that in my mind.
Really getting tired of Fangraphs writers feeling the need to focus on anything but player’s metrics/stats/abilities on the field. Will not be re-subscribing.
Will that also mean you stop commenting? [fingers crossed]
Ben, it was a nice article in terms of analyzing Bauer’s performance and the contract details. For me, this goes too far in terms focus on his off-field persona. I think most people who are relatively aware of sports news events know who Trevor Bauer is, and about his controversial actions and it wasn’t necessary to give the baseball fan audience a multi-paragraph explanation of the author’s view of why he thinks Bauer is an unsavory person (which I happen to agree with, BTW).
1) This was player transaction news, not on a HOF vote where character evaluation is warranted.
2) You may not like Bauer, but unlike a lot of players (and coaches) nothing he has done was remotely criminal, and an article doesn’t benefit from a projection of your moral values.
3) I think the ridiculous contract given out suggests that the Dodgers feel very differently than you do about how Bauer is viewed by most of the baseball watching public.
This beginning of this article is just more evidence as far as I am concerned that society is still very unresolved in it collective ability to use social media. There have always been A-holes in baseball and just because more direct interaction exposes that to a greater extent doesn’t mean it’s anymore important or newsworthy to the daily lives of most of us, especially those that choose to ignore the hyperbolic Twitter-verse.
There has to be a difference between being a d*ck and being a bad person that’s done legitimately bad things. Bauer is clearly a douche, but since when has being an obnoxious Twitter troll considered to be on the same level as some of the people in baseball that have done truly reprehensible things? There have been more words spilt on Bauer’s Twitter nonsense than there have been about Odubel Herrera or Omar Visquel committing truly horrifying actions
Agree. It would be a mile long list. My genuine question for writers in similar instances, would be do they consider the readers much when choosing how much background is relevant to the current story? For example, I’d guess that 90% of Fangraphs readers are aware of who and what Trevor Bauer is, and have formulated our own opinions. And in the world of 2021, for most people, their opinions are already probably concrete enough on the character matters that a baseball-related article isn’t going to move them on the topic much, either way.
I don’t have the strict, no politics sentiment that some here do. If Ben merely threw out a once sentence jab, including something like “noted Twitter-troll”, or any number of other insults that belied his personal feelings, I’m great with that and I’d expect it to some extent. This just went particularly too far in terms of words spent on character matters, to an audience that doesn’t really look to this author or website for value judgements. All that addition accomplished was to use a polarizing position to drive added interest and page clicks.
There have been several times that I have almost paid money to join this site because there is a wealth of baseball knowledge and info here and I would like to support those that contribute that knowledge. I have not, though, because there is almost as much cancel culture and politics posted by the authors here as well. I tend to like my politics and the discussion of such at the appropriate websites and I wish my baseball was not consumed by it as well. While I am no MAGA fanatic, I am conservative and I like to politely discuss the opinions of moderately liberal politics, but going down the radical liberal rabbit hole that seems to becoming more prevalent here is off-putting. So, it’s OK for an athlete to have view points that support a socialist and radical left view point, but it is not OK to have a view point that skews to the right? Having this particular view point make you a bad human to some writers here. I am not a Bauer fan…I think he is an equal opportunity troll and he is not just picking on women…he picks on all kinds of people (yes, even white males). FG, please leave you politics for the appropriate forum and write articles for your stated viewpoints there and leave your politics out of your writing here and focus on the merits of the players abilities to throw, catch and/or hit a baseball . Until I see the politics of all slant removed from this otherwise excellent website, I will not contribute my money to support the knowledge baseball writers here.
There really should be daily articles about the growing socialist menace that is MLB. This would provide a welcome contrast to the endless pieces on here where FG writers do little more than quote players’ Marxist diatribes verbatim without providing context.
Not being a fan of people who harass women selectively online is now Marxism.
The baseball world, and society at large, is better off without such small-minded and regressive takes. Join us in 2021
There’s nothing wrong with Marxism, it’s just a critique of capitalism. I thought what I said was over the top enough to make it clear I was kidding, but I guess there’s no such thing as too over the top in the comments section of this article.
Nothing wrong with Marxism? I bet the people of Hong Kong beg to differ.
Ben, I’m disappointed in the tone of this article. I’m usually a big fan of your work, but this piece continued the “holier than thou” theme that has permeated FG in the past year or two. Since this is still the best website for baseball analysis IMO, I will continue to stick around and pay for my membership.
But as a member, I feel like my opinion should be heard… I know Appleman has been desperate for our support, but the product is declining in quality. These pieces with this type of rhetoric invariably lead to a divisive shit show in the comments. Yes, traffic has been down due to the pandemic, but the shift in collective tone for the website has got to be a contributor as well.
Agreed 100%. It’s not a defense of Bauer himself to note that the story is written from the social side first, rather than the baseball side first.
Look, Fangraphs, for you all, baseball is your livelihood. And so you are enveloped in it, and I’m sure that it’s impossible in any career to not be influenced by everything all around you.
But for the vast majority of your readers, baseball isn’t our livelihood. It’s our fun. It’s our outlet. It’s our joy. It’s our escape. Humans need those things, and baseball provides it, and Fangraphs has long been a site that helps people enjoy and understand baseball even more. But these articles diminish joy… not joy for Trevor Bauer, who I can’t freaking stand, but joy for baseball.
It’s obvious from all of the decisions made by authors, editors and podcast hosts that this is the way that Fangraphs wants to go. But your membership is going to dwindle if you continue to make the analysis and discussion of baseball less fun rather than more fun.
Excellent. So much this, right on the nose. You articulated my thoughts so much better than I have been able to.
Twitter has damn near broken an entire generation of writers.
Most of the reaction to the signing of Bauer has been hand-wringing about his social media persona and the struggles of similarly thin-skinned writers to comprehend why a player they’ve never met or have had only limited interactions with has been rewarded and not thrown face first into a volcano.
It’s utterly disappointing to see from otherwise talented writers. The overall negativity that this website covers the game of baseball anymore is kind of sad.
Needing an escape from your life means you’re not happy with your life. That’s not this generation of writers fault.
I don’t need an escape from my life, I like my life just fine.
I also don’t need a half-assed character analysis from someone with an axe to grind.
Not about an escape from my life, but baseball is a break from dealing with the pandemic, political climate and societal anger 24/7. Baseball is a game, always has been. Games are fun. Just like baseball was the “escape” that so many turned to during the Great Depression. What’s wrong with that? I think it’s good to have something where we can forget about life’s challenges for a few.
Can’t wait to see this jerk get whacked around and then whine.
Ben, not trying to join any bandwagon here in the peanut gallery, but, since you went “there,” I’m kind of disappointed you didn’t illustrate Bauer’s lack of control on the mound by showing a video clip of him throwing a baseball over the centerfield wall on July 28th, 2019 against the Royals. I watched that game and, when I saw him do that, I just sat there thinking “whoa… WTF!” The Indians traded him to the Reds a few days later. I’m sure people argue that they were going to trade him anyway since he was going to be a free agent. But, if nothing else, that incident sealed the deal.
Every article now on fangraphs from a liberal will now tell us how bad a person is. I’m sure the author doesn’t root for or vote for a bad person
Maybe fangraphs can add a “bad person” metric based on the subjective feelings of the editors. Right next to wRC+ or xFIP. Curt Schilling would be the baddest.
A “social credit” score just like the Chicoms use. We’re already partway there. It’s being used in the Hall of Fame voting.
“I’ll simply invite you to consider how it feels to root for someone who repeatedly takes advantage of his popularity and power to make life worse for people without those things; how it feels to be one of those people.”
As others have stated, this claim has no substance. Getting into a back and forth with another adult on twitter is now considered making somebody’s life worse? Seriously? It is a hilarious notion…..are you suggesting one’s ability to enjoy conflict-free Twitter-verse now a variable in assessing one’s happiness?
He is one of the few high profile guys to have a female agent…..something that is far more impactful than being at worst a troll/immature on twitter. Why no comment on that?
Your ending with “I’m just not sure baseball did”…..is sooooo lazy!
Me thinks this piece is a great resume builder if you’d like to work for The Ringer…..I thought this website purposely tried to avoid the personal opinion and just focused on the, ya know, numbers?
Ben, to close, you are my least favorite person in all of sports journalism. I’d ask that none of the other commenters respond to this post unless they 100% agree with my assessment otherwise I will feel harassed.
The worst thing about fangraphs gaining traction in the mainstream sports world is the comment quality falling through the floor. It’s hardly different from reading espn comments… just a ton of ill-informed, insecure sports bros.
I remember when the comments were almost as engaging as the articles. (And that was when the articles themselves were overall better.)
But, I guess, dude bros are gonna dude bro. It’s a shame they just can’t dude bro elsewhere.
What’s with all these sports bros on this baseball website?
Bauer did some bad stuff but he definitely improved in that regard. He mostly stopped posting about politics (like denying climate change and stuff like that) and he also didn’t have a bad internet fight the last months.
He is a bit of a douche but he is smart enough to keep that at an acceptable level.
Really? What’s someone’s character have to do with stats? Same thing with an article on Curt Schilling, It’s absolutely obvious that Curt Schilling says some absolute hateful garbage and Bauer has some character issues , but WE ALREADY KNOW THAT. I use Fangraphs more than any other website because of the wonderful stats and expert analysis of everything involving baseball. Advanced metrics are complex, analyzing someone’s character is not
In light of the money being thrown around this off-season I think a deep excoriation and pilloriazation should be reserved for the writers at this site and others who take it upon themselves to continually advocate for players as if they are being serially underpaid or taken advantage of by the MLB establishment. This perverse invoking of so called progressive minded labor sentiment is diametrically opposed to reality.
Wow the Dodgers may have the best team ever on paper. Darn shame cause the Padres need a WS win more than the Dodgers. I can see this dodger team winning well over 100 even with injuries. In fact, it is just looking so unfair to be anyone not the Dodgers or Yankees on some levels. Geesh
Why even bother including that first opt-out? There’s no way Bauer could get better than $45M in 2022 even if he wins both the Cy Young Award and MVP, throws a Perfect Game, and wins World Series MVP this year.
Meanwhile, that second opt-out is very likely to be exercised, as he will probably be able to do a lot better than a $17M salary for 2023 (plus additional high-salaried years) on the open market.
pretty shocking decision to sign Bauer to an outlandish contract when the Dodgers already had a fine rotation. Bauer doesn’t seem like all that much of an upgrade, maybe one or two more wins than the Dodgers might get with Dustin May pitching the games that will go to Bauer.
not much bang for lots of bucks.
in the absence of further moves based upon this one, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher
While a lot of people might regard personality issues as irrelevant to a player’s production, Bauer’s personality and social media presence are going to be issues. That’s who this person is, for better or worse.
For those who say it doesn’t affect his performance on the field, he was traded by two teams, and not because of lack of talent.
He missed a postseason start because he cut his hand playing with a drone.
A player’s personality traits can leak onto the field.
“The upshot for the Dodgers is that they’re getting two years of Bauer, plus a third one if something goes terribly awry. ”
Getting the third year is not the upshot for the Dodgers. That the Dodgers pay $85M for two years of Bauer while only being charged $68M for the CBT those two years is the upshot of the hypothetical third year of the deal. Guess there’s no room to make that point when you have to spend 4 paragraphs trashing the guy, though.