Mets pitchers and catchers attend spring training in less than two weeks, and on Friday afternoon, team officials must know whether Trevor Bauer will be among the participants.
Right-handed ace agent Rachel Luba announced Thursday on Twitter that Bauer narrowed his choices to two teams – with all indications pointing to Mets and Dodgers as finalists.
Bauer, the largest free-agent launcher on the market, received an offer from Mets about three weeks ago, according to an industry source. The belief in the industry is that if the offers are close, Bauer will choose Mets because of the desire to grow his personal brand in the largest possible market.
Bauer tried to become baseball’s highest-paid pitcher in terms of average annual value, but the Mets’ initial offer was below the $ 36 million that Gerrit Cole is receiving from the Yankees, according to a source. The offer was expected to fall in the range of three to four years (north of $ 30 million annually) and to include at least one opt-out.
Last season, Bauer, 30, won the National League’s Cy Young Award, after going 5-4 with an ERA of 1.73 in 11 games for the Reds. Its addition would give Mets a dynamic 1-2 hit at the top of its rotation, with Jacob deGrom (who won the Cy Young Award in 2018 and 19) as the other component.
The Mets have already enjoyed a fruitful winter with new owner Steve Cohen, with the exchange that brought Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland. Bauer’s addition would bring together three components of the Indians’ World Series in 2016.
James McCann and Trevor May, both hired as free agents, are the other significant additions to the Mets this winter. This does not include Marcus Stroman, who accepted the Mets’ qualification offer to return in 2021.
The Mets’ rotation to start the season would potentially be deGrom, Bauer, Carrasco, Stroman and David Peterson. In June, the team expects Noah Syndergaard to return from Tommy John’s surgical rehabilitation to provide another high-octane arm.
Other rotation possibilities include Joey Lucchesi and Jordan Yamamoto, who have made the switch and still have options for the secondary league.
Wherever he goes, Bauer’s words will be scrutinized after several bullying incidents on social media. Most notably, he harassed a college student on Twitter two years ago and then apologized. Bauer’s responses to the woman included digging up a photo of her drink’s timeline before her 21st birthday, subjecting her to ridicule by her 414,000 followers. Bauer tweeted 17 times to the woman or other people while discussing her for three days.
“I was aware that some of the interactions related to a specific Twitter exchange may have had a negative impact,” said Bauer in a recent statement. “That was not my intention. I will exercise responsibility for my public platform more responsibly in the future. “
Bauer’s addition would put the Mets against or above the $ 210 million luxury tax limit. If they exceed that amount, they will pay a 20% penalty on each dollar spent in addition to $ 210 million.
But even with Bauer, the Mets may not have just spent, as they are looking for potential improvements in the central field and third base.
If the Mets do not hire Bauer, they can pivot towards a rotation option, like Jake Odorizzi or James Paxton.