JAN. 22, 9:24pm: The Twins are not in the race after all, Rosenthal reports.
8:39pm: The Mets’ interest in Bauer “has become more focused” since the Blue Jays agreed to sign Springer, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Jays are “believed” to still be in the running, however, and the same goes for the Dodgers and Twins. There’s no word on whether the Angels remain a possibility.
JAN. 21: It’s “believed” that the Mets and Angels have the best chance to land Bauer, per Feinsand. Meanwhile, despite the interest the Dodgers have shown in Bauer, it “still feels like a long shot to most industry sources” that he will end up with them, Feinsand writes.
JAN. 20: It appears the Dodgers have entered the market for top free agent hurler Trevor Bauer. ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan connected the two sides (Twitter link), with Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link) adding further detail to the situation.
At the moment, all that’s known is that the L.A. ballclub has initiated contact with Bauer’s camp and that the team’s interest is in a shorter-term pact. Both of those nuggets of information fail to surprise.
It has long felt inevitable that we’d see a connection between the SoCal native and the reigning world champs. Indeed, that’s just the outcome MLBTR prognosticated would ultimately come to fruition. Among other things, Bauer has expressed an inclination to pursue shorter-term, higher-AAV contract scenarios of the sort that the Dodgers have dangled to other premium players.
That’s not to say Bauer is sure to wear Dodger blue. The other team in Los Angeles remains a factor, among quite a few others. With some truly astronomical sums potentially in play, anything could still happen.
Bauer’s willingness to entertain creative offers also helps keep the door open to a variety of organizations. It may well be possible to make a competitive pitch without committing to an uncomfortably long guarantee.
For instance, the Blue Jays have already taken on a lengthy deal this winter by signing George Springer, perhaps reducing their appetite for another. But the Toronto organization may yet attempt to lure Bauer, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand notes on Twitter. Whether or not that potential effort would be based around a shorter term isn’t clear, but it’s certainly one potential avenue.
The Springer contract has surely buoyed Bauer’s own hopes for a monster deal — whether he chooses to maximize total guarantee or his annual salary. Amid so much uncertainty, a hefty $150MM pact makes clear that teams still have serious money to commit to payroll when they so choose.
Wonder if the Dodgers are feeling pressure from San Diego. I also wonder just how much Bauer really would get with a 1 year deal
Dodgers don’t have any pressure. They just won a championship and have a potential dynasty set up. Doubt they will pick him up but if they were reading this thread..
LET MY PADRES WIN IT ALL ONCE YOU —
I certainly hope they feel pressure. Pads made real impact moves. Feels like they made about 600 of them. OG Mandino said “Don’t let your success of today lay you into complacency for tomorrow. That is the worst form of failure”.
The Dodgers are great. Now so are the Padres.
I’ll rephrase. The Dodgers BETTER feel pressure. If they stand idly by next thing you know they’ll be behind the Padres.
The Padres are “great” IF every 2020 improvement from their core offensive guys is legitimate- Hosmer/Myers/Machado, IF Lamet is healthy to throw 200 innings, IF Darvish thinks it 2020 and Snell thinks it’s 2018, IF Tatis can show he can produce and stay healthy for 162
The dodgers are great. Right now. And are also adding David Price for free, and if they get Bauer, that likely means they are targeting Jose Ramirez or Matt Chapman-type player at 3B
Are they the same? Are they?
Not sure what you’re talking about here.
Hosmer and Myers don’t matter, and the Padres are great. Darvish has always been great, and he changed his approach in mid 2019 and has been ELITE since. Machado has always been great, generational and easily on a hall of fame trajectory. Snell embarrassed us in the WS and we got lucky that Kevin Cash and the Rays got too cute and smart for their own good. Tatis is one of the best young superstars in baseball and it’s not debatable. Lamet doesn’t need to throw 200 innings for them to succeed with Darvish/Snell/Musgrove/Paddack surrounding him.
The Dodgers are better on paper. Sure. I believe that. But to act like they’re out of reach or the Padres are not a great team is arrogant for a fan. For the Dodgers it would be irresponsible and dangerous.
Since 16- he missed all of 15
Darvish’s ERA+ FIPS
3.41/3.09
3.86/3.83
4.95/4.85
3.98/4.18
2.01/2.23
That’s ace level consistent? It was only of the worst contacts in baseball about 5 months ago
Machado, since he became a regular
OPS+
102/110/132/130/108/145/110/158
2 superstar years, 2 more very good. 4 really good years. Then 4 years barely 10% better than the league. So 50/50. Consistent? Cmon. You have no idea what Machado you’re getting in 2021. 110 OPS+? 130 OPS+? 140+ OPS+? It’s 50/50. You can’t predict anything
And really, you don’t think the 2 biggest protectors to the MVP candidates in 2020 don’t matter!?! Ok buddy
I never said anything about consistency.
I absolutely think Hosmer and Myers don’t matter. Not with the other 24 guys on the roster. ZIPS projections has Myers as their 7th most valuable position player this year and Hosmer as their 10th. If anything an insistence to play Hoz over Cronenworth at 1B will probably hurt them, not help them.
I like what Toby Harrah said about statistics. “Baseball statistics are like a girl in a bikini. They show a lot, but not everything”.
You’re ignoring the fact that Manny Machado’s superlative defense to go along with his bat has helped him generate 39.8 bWAR and 35.8 fWAR, along with a 300MM contract by age 27. Or that since his first full season in 2013 he’s been the 8th most valuable position player in baseball. I cannot stand him, I think he’s pompous and dirty. I also know he is excellent at baseball.
Also ignoring that Yu has been the 15th most valuable pitcher in baseball since he made his debut in 2012. Or since July 1 2019, after Darvish changed how he attacks hitters, he’s been the 4th most valuable pitcher in all of baseball. Or that last year he was the second most valuable pitcher in all of baseball.
This is getting silly though. If it will end the reaching, I’ll concede. The Padres are terrible, all of their players are trash, and they don’t pose a threat at all. You win.
Now you can work on flipping the other 90% of the population that considers the Padres to be the second best team in baseball at this point. Happy sailing!
Jose Ramirez? That’d be crazy. If any team has the prospects/young controllable MLB talent to make a deal, it’s the Dodgers
1. Cronenwerth had a 500 OPS in month 2 of a 2 month season. To expect he’s going to be an major Padre contributor is suspect at best
And congrats! With selective end points and full acknowledgement that Darvish just had his best season, yeah his numbers back to whatever date you pick probably are pretty good.
He’s still been closer to good than great for most of his career, no matter how you want to spin it. Just look at the number I put up there. He’s a career 3.40 era pitcher pretty much everywhere he’s been. If you think he’s gonna be a 2.00 guy foe the next 3 years, enjoy that prediction
With Machado, I did not discount his defense. He’s one of the best in the game defensively. But in just the last 2 years, Manny has had a 48% swing in his offensive production! Which year is more likely to be similar going forward, the 162 game year or the 60 game year he lit it up? Again, your call
Idk where you are getting these value predictions for players, but even at 7th best, that would mean Myers is like the 3rd or 4th most valuable offensive player, no? I’d assume Tatis/Machado/Snell/Darvish/Lamet are ahead, Maybe Pham is the last guy?
So yeah, I do think they are big keys to the year. It’s a lot different when you’re 3/4 is hitting or when your 3/4/5/6/7 (Hosmer/Myers/Cronenwerth) are all hitting
I never said they would suck. They won’t suck unless injuries hit them. They don’t have the depth to last a big rash of injuries, unless all their kids excel immediately.
What I did say is for them to be great, a lot of IF’s have to go their way. And I missed some on that list, like Cronenwerth’s difference. They’ve made a lot of moves but that doesn’t mean they are flawless. There’s a lot of hope in those projections
@andy, I thought Turner would be reasonable and have already signed 2+1 or something. At this point I think he’s waiting out DH rule hoping it changes
So la is looking at alternatives. Not many better values than Ramirez at 3B
I still think they want JT back. But I don’t think they are gonna play the wait forever game
I said where I was getting the values from. Values were from ZIPS as stated, and 7th best position player, not overall player, as also stated.
I also said you were right and I was wrong. Obviously someone by the name of “LOLPadreFans” is bound to be objective.
Happy hunting.
Padres are very much improved. I hope they beat LA
Not everyone on this site is here for someone to tell them they are right
I could just be talking baseball, on a baseball site. Woooooah
Yeah I missed the zips mention. My bad. So I looked it up. Who’s Zips’s projected 3rd best Padre by Ops+? Myers. Almost like I’ve been implying all along, his bat is really important?? Inconsequential? Even your tool disagrees with you
Meanwhile Hosmer had his best year of his career at 30 with the bat, and a 37% increase in year over year production
You’re hating using a projection model, while I’m looking at who their best hitters were last year and who needs to perform at that same level to repeat 2020 and excel. If you don’t think Hosmer going back to 2019 version and losing 37% of his offensive production wouldn’t hurt the team, I got nothing more to say
The Padres are a boom or bust club at this point. Many different players will impact how their season goes either way. That’s all my point has been. If you Take offense otherwise, you do you
“
Dodgerbleu
January 21, 2021
Not sure what you’re talking about here.
Hosmer and Myers don’t matter, and the Padres are great. Darvish has always been great,
Machado has always been great, generational and easily on a hall of fame trajectory.“
“
Dodgerbleu
January 21, 2021
I never said anything about consistency.“
You do realize “always been great” means consistent, right?
Maybe don’t use always if you don’t actual mean the extremity that is “always”. Always means zero exceptions. Neither Darvish or Machado have zero exceptions from “always being great”
They’ve both already had underwater value years on their current deals, and neither contract is more than 3 years old. Darvish was underwater 2 of his 3 most recent seasons. chill with the hyperbole if you can’t defend it
Just reading up on the 2015 Padres for no reason. Seems like only yesterday they won that offseason.
Bellinger OPS 2020 0.783, 2018: 0.814
Seager OPS 2019: 0.817, 2018: 0.744.
Pedestrian
Not good for the superiority-consistency argument?
@lol
Totally agree. The Dodgers will only leave the door open so far before they move to other alternatives.
I hope they don’t.
I say this as a Giants fan, Probably the best analysis I’ve seen yet of the NL west pennant race.
Darvish always been great? Not true. He has over 5 era in postseason. Machado has lifetime .200 postseason average. Hosmer is 5 years away from good postseason and can’t hit lefties. Myers is .100 taking out .500 Cardinals WC series at Petco. Musgrove in postseason stinks. So Padres aren’t on Dodgers level.
Depth exactly is what Padres don’t have. Has Preller in 7 years developed any homegrown players? He’s made ton of trades most bad.
I really thought if the Mets got Lindor that Ramirez would come with him with JD Davis and cash or international money going the other way.
I’ll take zero chance on Hosmer.
There are lots of teams with young controllable talent – and one of them has another $50M a year to spend … Welcome the Toronto Blue Jays …!!!
With those postseason arguments you made for Darvish and Machado, your logic suggests Mike Trout is completely terrible.
Yes, Machado is an excellent player. To attempt to diminish him from that is silly. He does everything on the field.
1. Bellinger posted a 300 ops then 950 and like 850 in 2020. He was also the best defensive cf in the game in 20. He’ll be fine
2. Cute you pick 2018 for Corey. Right after he’s coming off both Tommy John and hip surgery. 2020 was his first healthy season in the last 3, with a full offseason to prep not recover. You’re a real crappy troll
You’re just hating, LOLPadreFans. Dodgers sew the most talented team in baseball. Yankees are second. Padres are third. The third best team in the sport can easily win the title. But keep talking nonsense to TRY to make your points (although they don’t make sense).
Cronenworth didn’t have a great September, but he came alive again in the postseason.
This criticism is getting old.
When down years put you 10% better than league average, it means you are a good player.
Cron hit .200 against Dodgers yea he raked at home against .500 Cardinals that stunk wow
Did he Stevil? He destroyed the cardinals for 3 games and then posted…. a 533 OPS against the dodgers. Just like? All of his September!! Where he had a 540 OPS for the whole month!!
So was the 3 games vs a bad team the real Jake, or the sub 600 OPS he put up during the remaining last 5 weeks of the year? Which guy should you use to project in 2021? The 3 games over ~5 weeks? Okay. Not biased at all
Just because you don’t like the facts doesn’t mean the criticism is old. He’s FARRRRR from a sure thing in 2021
LOLPadresFan-
Could you please change your name? Smugness says a lot about a person. It is disgusting and indicates impotence and lack of self-respect on your part. It is also the ultimate troll move. That’s not a compliment. I’m asking you nicely: Can you please change your name? Thank you. I truly appreciate it.
It was directed at the people who proclaimed Darvish was an lock down ace going forward once he became a Padre, ignoring the majority of his career. I’ve made my point. I can oblige
Those same IFs apply to the Dodgers. For instance, could LA have gotten by Atlanta and Tampa unless Seager played like a super hero? The ONLY thing the Padres lack is the experience of winning and having an established culture of winning. The Dodgers had the latter but it took them a long time to finally get that elusive WS title. I’m a Phillies fan so I think I can be objective here. It will be fun to watch how the LA-SD battle goes this year.
Criticism is getting old? The guy’s entire career is like 30 seconds long. A 128 OPS+ in less than 200 PAs… I’ve never seen a player more prematurely annointed.
They really do not apply to the dodgers evenly. The dodgers have won 8 straight division titles and been to the series in 3 of the last 4 years. They have *nothing* to prove
SD was a wild card team who rode multiple career- best years to the playoffs in 2020. They are the ones who need to prove they can remain productive and healthy over 162
With seager, he hit on that level since ST2.0. He is finally healthy and had 3 months extra to build muscle, and he didn’t miss a beat. So his performance against ATL- and SD- and Mil- that was him all year. You’re now coming at me with “what if the dodger stars didn’t perform like stars in the big moment”
The answer is simple. Just answer one question. What happened to the Padres when Tatis fell off a cliff? *Maybe* that happens to LA. but unlike SD, they performed all year, including October
The Only thing the Dodgers won was a 60 game tournament.
Whatever helps you sleep at night
They won more games in fewer days with fewer off days in the playoffs. They had more chances to be eliminated. And were the best team since the 01 Mariners in almost every offensive stat that matters. Appearance in 3 of the last 4 WS. And they won the division 8 straight times, think it’s safe to say they can produce over a full 162. But keep hating
And you didn’t!!
There is no doubt the dodgers were the best team last year. There is also no doubt that the season was 60 games. So to act like a 60 game season is the same as a 162 game season is crazy.
Over 162 many things can happen to change who becomes champion. Most importantly injuries.
Dodgers have been very good for awhile now, nobody can argue that. At the sametime a championship in a 60 game season doesn’t mean the same. It doesnt matter how different the playoffs were.
If the season was 162 games the dodgers would of been the favorites but have been before and failed. Lots of baseball fans, media, writers, and even some dodgers fans think 2020 needs an asterisk. This would be the case no matter who would of won. Its just another bummer of covid.
@LOLPadreFans – You can’t have it both ways. Either you stick to the 60 game argument or you don’t. You’re clearly pushing a narrative because you don’t like the Padres. That’s fine.
You can sit here all you want and tell us the Dodgers are better and the Padres have no depth. However, who is the Dodgers 3B? Did they not lose an incredible amount of depth if Kike were not to sign back with them? The Dodgers have gotten worse (to this point), while the Padres have gotten significantly better. That’s not even up for debate.
Simondine is the only person I have heard say the Dodgers need an asterisk for 2020.
Dodgers need an asterisk for 2020.
@Birch Edwin Rios, Max Muncy, Zack McKinstry are the depth options at third base until the Dodgers sign their everyday third baseman. I’m also hearing Will Smith can play third base but I don’t think the Dodgers are going to do that very often, if at all. Zach McKinstry might also be Kiké’s replacement.
@lolpadrefans I’m pretty sure you made up your mind about the Padres and now are hand selecting stats to try and bolster your case.
Every team and player has the possibility of regression. But the Padres have been assembling a collection of talented players who have been recently playing the best baseball of their careers. Expecting all or even half of those players to suddenly have awful seasons doesn’t make you look well informed, it makes you look biased.
“ lolpadrefans I’m pretty sure you made up your mind about the Padres and now are hand selecting stats to try and bolster your case.”
Hahahaha no. Anyone who’s not a Padre homer can see their 2021 hopes are built on 4?5? Guys replicating their career season in 2020?
Plus Snell goes back to 2018 magically.
My name says it all. Padre fans are why I find this so funny. They’ve made a lot of splashy moves. But if the massive regression that’s heading for the Padre offense hits, and they go back to their career norms… they aren’t that scary of a team
They are the team that needs to prove they can play 162 and the playoffs, not LA. Tatis has never held up for the whole year. Cronenwerth took a month to fade
They are not the sure fire juggernaut so many want them to be. They *could* be it with this roster more or less, I do not disagree. But that’s a long way from reality
It’s funny that you barely know the dodgers starting lineup, then claim they are screwed
Oh no, LA may replace Kike with Gavin Lux. What a downgrade!
They have 4 other 3B options and there’s no reason to think they aren’t trying to acquire an impact 3B. I don’t need to list them Frankie took care of that
La’s pitching is still better than SD right now. With Bauer it’s laughable. You forget we got David Price coming back too?
La is doing just fine
They only won the NL West for the eighth consecutive season in 2020. You think they don’t make the playoffs in 162 game season? I would take that bet any day. The playoffs were much tougher last season. In a three game series any superior team could have been eliminated. I thought that was the dumbest move by MLB. Sure, it creates more excitement but you could have potentially eliminated a few of the stronger teams. I think your sour grapes is showing. 2017 is an asterisk. 2020 not so much.
Padres fans should know better than anyone that having a great offseason and having a great team on paper doesn’t always translate to a great team. Don’t anoint them before a game has even been played
Bingo
The Cubs and Astros had dynasties lined up, but each only won one championship. The Cubs are done and the Astros are no longer top dog in the AL.
Neither became dynasties because they proved the only way they were able to develop talent was when they drafted at the top of the board
La has proven it can consistently crank talent out drafting 25 or later. Hous+Chi were unable to do it. It’s not easy
The only way you even have a shot at a dynasty is the ability to impact draft no matter your slot. Both of those franchises lacked that
Could just be that his asking price has come down a bit. My guess is a bit of both.
Oh I bet they are. SD was a competitor last year, and now they look even better
Dodgers ambushed Padres in DS and won 5 straight over them overall they aren’t worried about Padres. They are worried if so on Braves who took them to 7th game of NLCS
The latest on Bauer seems to be teams are taking a second look at his abusive text activity towards women. Some teams have backed away after performing their dodiligence into MAJOR character issues.
He will get signed, but the loss of potential bidders is
making his negotiating leverage dissappear. Costing him Millions.
Sign already!!
Fill in the blank: #BAUERTOxxxx?
Either the Dodgers or the Angels..That sounds about right to me…
I highly doubt it would be the Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Padres, White Sox, or the Mets..So, for me, they are the only two other teams that would even make any sense, AND have the budget..
But good lord, could you imagine the Dodgers signing Bauer, and then adding Turner back or another bat…I mean, COME ON, give someone else a legitimate chance to win..lol
I originally thought, the Braves might be able to compete with the Dodgers, since they would get their ace back in Soroka, and then having Fried, Morton, Anderson, and Smyly/Wright/Wilson to round out one of the better rotations in the NL. Although, that was only if they were able to resign Ozuna, or add another big bat to replace him, and then tweak their bench and pen a bit..
Even if the Braves do make those changes though, if the Dodgers get Bauer, idk if there would be any way the Braves would be able to knock off the Dodgers…/:
Yes, they came about as close as you can get without beating them last season, and that was with 1 legit SP, 1 rookie SP, and 2 other rookie SP’ers that had been highly inconsistent, but the Dodgers will only continue to get better this off-season…/:
The Braves better pull a rabbit out of their hat, or either hope their entire team plays the best series of their lives; otherwise, they aren’t going to stand much of a chance against this juggernaut all-star team…
I think the Angels are out No longer interested in Bauer Angels can’t wait for Bauer to sign with the Angels who need to start signing starting pitching who are still on the board
Bauers on social media acting like a night walker
@braves88, I really thought Brantley was the perfect signing for ATL. Contact hitter who’d keep the lineup moving, or be on base for Freddy
They need at least 1 and probably 2 bats to be at/near the same level team wise in offensive prowess, imo, between Ozuna’s massive year and Duvall also getting the boot. But we all know the Braves love the 1 year deals. So they easily could be adding key guys in Feb and it wouldn’t be shocking. I still think they need more to maintain pace with the top of the NL
Torque, toggle, tooted, touchy, toward, topple, toadie, toeing, toffee, toughs, toilet, toiler, tomato, toning, tonsil, toasts, toothy, townie, tossed, tosser, tosh.o, totter, toured, towers, towing, toxics, toying. That’s what he’s doing. He’s TOYING with the market.
Blue Jays get Bauer…!!!
Seems like a great fit. They blow their window wide open, he gets the shorter term higher ASV deal he wants.
The other team is inn Orange County, get it straight, they play in Anaheim not LA, two different counties
it is still in l.a. megalopolis.
No it’s not. You clearly don’t live here or know what you’re talking about.
ypu do’t even know what megalopolis is.
It’s not LA.
Orange County is where Anaheim is and it’s a world away from LA.
Bruin1012
Orange county is a world away from LA
what planet are you from?
Isnt it like 40 miles? Or like 10 hours with traffic?
Technically Orange and LA counties border each other. Anaheim stadium and dodgers stadium are like 40 miles from each other though.
It’s Orange County. That is as separate from LA as San Diego county is. It’s like the Giants and the A’s. Geographically very close together, sharing much of the same fan base but in different counties and different leagues.
It’s a mystery to me why that team is called the “Los Angeles Angels.”
Just a weak marketing move by the Angels.
Weak marketing move that increased revenues by hundreds of millions, but ya
Neither the Jets or Giants play in New York, but they use the name for marketing purposes. I imagine it’s the same thing with the Angels.
what’s more fun to think about is “the los angelas angels” is translated “ the the angels angels”…good job people. double redundancy
It’s all one big contiguous sprawl of bipedal ape-like creatures let’s face it, and it has pretty much consumed San Diego too.
Kansas City Royals don’t play in Kansas. This is one I strangely see confused alot.
Anaheim is about the same as many of the suburbs in LA County. It’s on the northern end of Orange County, close to the border of LA County. It doesn’t feel like the parts of Orange County that really feel like Orange County — like Laguna or San Clemente. Even Irvine and Costa Mesa feel more Orange County than Anaheim.
How stupid. Without a sign it is impossible to tell when you are leaving LA County and entering the OC. Except the OC is newer richer and cleaner.
For money. And it worked. How is that a mystery mate..??
And Anaheim, which is pretty close to LA, and isn’t really new, rich or clean. The central and southern parts of Orange County are different. They don’t feel like either LA County or Anaheim — except northwest LA County which starts to feel a little like Orange County the more you head away from Woodland Hills toward Simi Valley or Thousand Oaks.
Or one could say, “Los the Angeles Angels” ?
If you have been there in the last decade you would know that Orange County is a world away from LA. It’s as different as Scotland and England.
sure there are enclaves of cultural-political differences between Anaheim and Pasadena, but that’s also the case between Santa Monica and San Bernardino. Regardless, it’s 4,000 sq miles of uninterrupted contiguous urban-suburban sprawl, comprising a vast fan base..
Not really. When you consider a lot of LA County contains a collection of Anaheim-like suburbs, LA and Anaheim are not nearly as big a difference as New York and New Jersey (where the Giants play) — or DC and Maryland (where the Washington Football Team plays).
Did you complain when the Rams played in Anaheim but were the Los Angeles Rams ?
Those Rams had Fred Dryer. Hunter was a TV star. TV stars live in Hollywood (LA county). They get a pass.
Anaheim is just as “LA” as Irving was “Dallas”.
I get your beef, but the team goes by the moniker “Los Angeles Angels.”
Of Anaheim.
“Of Anaheim” was dropped prior to the 2016 season. It was adopted in 2005 by Arte Moreno. However, the City of Anaheim sued the Angels organization, but lost…as a result, “Anaheim” references are gone.
The Los Angeles Angels Pacific coast league
So really the Los Angeles Angels were here first
13. 1943 Los Angeles Angels
Record: 110-45
Pacific Coast League (Triple-A)
By Bill Weiss & Marshall Wright, Baseball Historians Don Osborn
During World War II, many minor leagues closed up shop for the duration. There were 41 leagues in 1941 and 31 in 1942, but only 9, the smallest number in National Association history, were ready to start the 1943 season. The draft of young men for the armed services, restrictions on team travel, gas rationing (to save rubber, not gasoline), a ban on ?pleasure driving? (an oxymoron in today?s world) – all contributed to the reduction. The three Class AA leagues survived and the Pacific Coast League showcased one of its finest champions, the 1943 Los Angeles Angels, during the three-year period ending in 1945. The Angels were not what one might think of as strictly a wartime team. Almost all of the players had extensive major league and/or top minor league experience before or after the war. In June, San Francisco Seals manager Lefty O?Doul told The Sporting News that in his opinion the Angels were superior to their parent Chicago Cubs. He considered Roy Hughes the best second baseman he had seen in the PCL in his many years as a player and manager.
it is the trolls. dumb ones at that!
Since we’re talking baseball history here, the LA Angels of the PCL were not connected to the MLB expansion team in any way, except by their name, so it really doesn’t make any historical sense to say they were “here first.” When the Dodgers came to LA the PCL Angels franchise (which ironically was then owned by Walter O’Malley) was moved to Washington. Gene Autry had to buy the naming rights from O’Malley. When they moved to Orange County they changed the name of the team to the California Angels, presumably because that looked like good marketing at the time.
The primary reason Arte Moreno reneged on his deal with the city of Anaheim over the naming of the team was all about marketing too. OC is part of the LA media market and in sports media is where the money’s at. It wasn’t about history, that’s for sure.
At least Angels stadium wasn’t built ontop Chavez Ravine Kicking out Families from their homes
How quickly you forget now that you got a few nickels to rub together
Relax Geno! You sound like PeeWee Herman: “I know you are but what am I?”
They’re the LA Angels aren’t they?
I hate this. I love Bauer, but I hate this.
You would love Bauer, you two have a lot in common.
No way Dodgers offer Bauer more than 2 years with our upcoming LA Free Agent class and wanting to stay under the salary tax. Signing Bauer for the money he wants would restrict Friedman $ wise and that’s exactly what would happen.
The only people insisting the dodgers will avoid the tax are fans. They we’re going to blow it for 2020. Why would it be shocking for them to do it 2020-2022 or so?
Hmm. When was the last time the Dodgers actually paid the CBT? How many times did their payroll come under the threshold by just a whisker? I’m not saying that they will never choose to pay it again and maybe even this year, but arguing that they don’t care about it is complete nonsense.
They paid it 3 years ago and played games the 2 seasons following. As I said they planned to blow it in 2020 once Price+Betts were acquired, pre covid. They weren’t cutting the 20M or whatever needed to drop back under
LAD has also paid *THE MOST TAX IN ALL OF BASEBALL* since Guggenheim took over
Think we can agree the penalties for the CBT get stiffer year over year. So in 18+19, when they were close enough to play, why wouldn’t they play games to stay under? That just allows them to stay over longer once Bellinger, Buehler and Seager make big long term money
Why is this a controversial idea? They were going to go over by over 20M *last year*. What’s so hard to imagine them blowing it again when they were going to last year?
And I never said they don’t care. You made my comment sound more extreme so you could call my very reasonable idea “complete nonsense”. Cmon
I can only understand what you mean by what you write. Try being clear.
What’s so unclear that you’re trying to be a wise guy?
I even put the years they could potentially go over, and used recent actions as justification. Please, explain, what’s so unclear?
You said only fans care about whether the Dodgers pay the CBT. Obviously the team owners care about it a good deal more than the fans, and that’s going to be true whether they choose to pay it this year or not.
I think LAD wants to stay under the CBT most yrs
– But with only 4.3 mill left this year its not happening- Might as well load up on a buncha 1 yr deals and blow by it this season – Next year should be an easy year to duck below and I think they will
They’ve paid it more years than not that they’ve owned the team. Their actions say they don’t care, if it makes the team better
They were able to play CBT games with dead contracts, so they did in 18+19.
You’re just complaining to complain. You do you. Nothing I said was controversial. Fans on this site mark the CBT line as a do not cross way more than this FO does. They’ve shown a willingness to spend if it makes the team better over and over. Insisting otherwise is just wrong
LOLPadreFans – FYI, don’t try to reason with BlueSkies_LA.. He’s a troll with no common sense and less baseball knowledge. It’s not you, it’s him.
Prov356: have to push back on the BlueSkies-LA comment, “ he’s a troll with no common sense and less baseball knowledge.” I have had my disagreements with BlueSkies but he has plenty of baseball knowledge and is anything but a troll.
Fair enough fox. I have had a different experience with him but I’m glad you have had the opposite. Thanks for the input.
Thank you, I appreciate that. Nobody will ever have a different experience with me unless they believe personal attacks are arguments or insist on making statements that are obviously untrue.
Blue skies is the same guy believing in masks…which today was confirmed to have no impact in preventing the spread. This should say all you need to know is how “special” he really is
Urusai bakatare
Tatsumaki please for the love of god leave that kind of talk off of this app/site. If it’s not baseball related don’t post a comment about it.
He’s really into disinformation. Every chance he gets. You can always tell the trolls on these boards, but you can’t tell them very much.
Tats, Dude get ALL THE WAY out of here with the politics A-hole. Enough of that.
Sportstrac has them with about 4.5 mil in cap space available. for 21. So paying Bauer would put them roughly 25 mil over the cap with a void to fill at 3rd.
Yanks have 5 mil in cap space BEFORE LeMahieu’s 15 mil hits payroll. So they are over and still spending.
Imagine that, both of the largest markets blow right past agreed cap while majority of other teams are all crying bankrupt. MLB’s got a serious problem they won’t admit.
White Sox will sign Bauer by end of week.
I’d much rather see that and see him stay in the Midwest with the smaller markets than to go to L.A. If he goes west, i’d love to see him & Yu on the Padres. It’d be cool to see two potential ace arms in that rotation. Who was the last? Peavy/Young in 2007?
@Curveball1984 – Have you been paying attention to the Padres recently? They had two aces in 2020 when both Lamet and Clevinger were both healthy, and they will have three ace-caliber pitchers in their rotation next year even without Bauer(Snell, Darvish, and Lamet). Bauer would be overkill at this point.
I think it’s a little early to call Lamet an ace. Certainly has the potential, but I think you need to show that over at least a full season before you can be called an ace.
And Blake Snell is not an ace. If you’re expecting that, I think you’re going to be disappointed.
Peavy – Young? Assuming they were to go for Bauer (and they won’t), Peavy-Young would not crack the rotation of Darvish-Snell-Bauer-Clevenger-Lamet-and potentially Gore. The only past Padre pitchers who would are Kevin Brown and Gaylord Perry (and maybe Peavy, or wiffle ball Jones at his best).
They have Snell and darvish who are aces
They will not.
Angels are about to swing and miss. Clutch up already!
i think it is better to sign tanaka and hand.
Tanaka is a great pick up for a team that needs to fill out a good rotation. The Angels’ rotation, however, needs something more dramatic and more reliable than an older mid-rotation arm with injury history.
They could sign Tanaka and trade for Gray or Castillio ?
1.Tanaka
2.Castillo/Gray
3.Quintana
4.Heaney
5.Canning/Barria
Such disrespect for my boy, Bundy..
Ah I forgot about Bundy
1.Bundy
2.Tanaka
3.Quintana
4.Castillo/Gray
5.Heaney/Canning/Barria
Vizion – I said the same thing when Cole was up for grabs. But we made a weak offer to Cole, lost, and ignored the remaining 2nd tier and ended up with nothing. I would rather get two or three 2nd/3rd tier starters for depth for the same AAV that Bauer would cost. Plus Bauer’s ego will disrupt the clubhouse.
Ugh! Really tired of this. The Dodgers are not in on Bauer. This is a ploy to get whatever team interested in Bauer to pay more. Agents do this every year… Bauer will not go to the Dodgers.
Yeah. If anything, the chances of Bauer landing with LA increased from 1% to 2% with this news. If you wanna consider that “entering the market” for him.
I disagree honestly. Lad doesn’t leak stuff unless they intend it to get out
Imo, this is more about posturing with Turner- but there is likely truth to it. Package with Gonsolin Lux and May likely gets Clev to talk about Jose Ramirez. Shows they are considering alternatives. Bauer slots in the 4 slot, they can do the trade easier, in theory
You think Bauer thinks of himself as a #4???? Lol!!!!
couldn’t care less what he thinks
But at best he’s LA’s #3. Or if they care about handiness swapping every day. But I’d put David Price’s resume over Bauer
So Buehler-Kershaw-Price-Bauer-May/Gonsolin share the 5
Where does Bauer slot in that rotation for you? He’s not LA’s ace. He’s just not
I didn’t know you could throw a resume. And what did you do with Urias? I hear the kid’s pretty good.
Which us exactly why Bauer would never sign with the Dodgers. To get him on a one year deal you would have to pay him what $40 mil? He would be the highest paid pitcher in baseball but the Dodgers #4??? Not in a million years…wherever he signs he will be their #1 and ace of their staff!
I forgot about Urias. So maybe Bauer is the 5. Doesn’t hurt my point, if anything it furthers the idea that Gonsolin and or May could be used as trade bait
So now not just Bueller, Kershaw and Price, but even Urias is better than Bauer in your mind? Are you trying to set the record for most stupid takes on a single post?
Going forward, it’s very plausible 24 year old Urias out performs Bauer in the next 4 years. Urias was seen as the next Kershaw before shoulder issues
I was really just talking about how they’d line up in the rotation, and showcasing the depth of the dodgers with front line talent. Which would then allow the dodgers to discuss the cost controlled arms in deals. The Urias pushing Bauer to 5 is a little tongue in cheek, but it’s also not insane.
Heck, Urias could even be trade bait if someone wants to pay a nice price for him. This fo is extremely creative, and if guys are being paid, no one really cares whos 2 or who’s 3 or who’s 4. There would be 3 30M/year contracts PLUS Buehler in the rotation, then Urias. If you’re signing onto LA, you’re signing on for that team mentality. If Bauer isn’t gung-ho about that, he won’t end up with LAD
36.1M sets the aav record. If he has that, what other bragging rights does he really need? He’d be the highest annually paid pitcher in history when 2021 starts
You really think he’d sign somewhere for less money just to be their #1? Sorry man that’s dumb. He said he wants to go to the playoffs. If he’s the clear cut far and away #1, the team probably isn’t a strong playoff team
When athletes say it is not about the money but about winning and playoffs the final decision is almost always about the money. If someone puts $200+ mill on the table, I am betting that is where he goes. Mets and Blue Jays could do that and they are not any type of playoff lock. I also guarantee you if the Dodgers sign him for a one year deal he is the #1. Have you paid any attention to Bauer and his personality? He has a huge ego and athletes with these egos want to be THE MAN. Team I am surprised not been mentioned at all are the Cards. I could totally see him in that uniform.
Not sure how you could forget about Urias after his heroic performance in the postseason. He should have gotten two rings for all he did to win it. I also don’t see the Dodgers bailing on May or Gonsolin, especially if it’s driven by a short-term contract with Bauer. They’d be pitched out of the pen or optioned before they were traded.
LoLPadreFans is the troll HaloShanes alt account.
Hoese will be ready to take over 3B in a year. Gonsolin, Lux, and May would be a massive overpay for Ramirez. Friedman has said he doesn’t make stupid trades, which is what that would be. I trust AF completely. His team is still in the driver’s seat. No reason to make a panic move.
It’s a huge price and probably too much you’re right. There easily could be more added to it from Clev, could be a choice of the Pitchers.. many ways to adjust it to your belief of Ramirez’s value
My point was signing Bauer makes it easier to move one or more pitchers ina big trade. Especially If, let’s say, the Jays swoop on JT
Overall I fully agree with the sentiment I fully trust AF to make the best move. It’s just not hard to see how a Bauer move could connect to another improvement
2 of those 3 would most likely be the centerpieces in any deal for a player the caliber of Jose Ramirez
Agree, 2 outta the 3 and some fillers would be the cost
Think Cle would want Lux and Ruiz + ….Id at least explore it but I think it comes down to if Cle is alive at the break…..they start out slow you can bet we will be hearing more about him towards the break
@cap, I think you’re right, Clev would start with both position guys. I just don’t see la moving both, especially in just one deal. Unless it is massive value going each way, IE a TOR arm and a star 3B
I think the “best” offer would be for Clev to basically have their pick, 1 of the 2 pitchers, and 1 of the 2 positional guys, as the headliners. Depending on who those names end up, other pieces would then be involved
The LAD’s are enamored of Gavin Lux.. good reason for it too.. The package for Jose Ramirez probably doesn’t include him.. The Indians have three needs.. Outfielder, Outfielder who can play CF..and, young controllable catcher to partner with Berto for the 2021 season and onto the future. The LAD have the backstops but really don’t have the upside OF’ers the Indians are looking for. Of course.. with pitching as talented as the Dodgers have.. a third team w/ outfield talent can be brought into the deal or the Indians can make the deal on their own for an outfielder with the pitching talent acquired from the Dodgers. It’s a long way around the mulberry bush, but, it could work… We’ll see..
It’s all a ploy. Ignore everything.
Trout only has a few years left before age will finally claim his title of best player in baseball…They need to get an ace for his next 5 years or they’ll miss the window of his prime
Angels missed on his career, period.
It could be premature to write the career obituary of a 29 year old.
It’s crazy the number of times I’ve gone to look at some random stat over the past 8 years, then compare that player to how they rank lead wide and….oh Mike Trout is the best at that too.
I wouldn’t worry too much about Trout and his age degression. Guys like Mickey Mantle, Frank Robinson, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron all had OPS well above .900 going deep into their 30’s. I think it’s safe to say Trout will age well.
The Angels obviously thought Albert Pujols would age well too, didn’t exactly work out for them.
The Dodgers are usually too fiscally responsible for something like this. I could see a 1 or 2 year contract at a high AAV though. I just don’t know if that would be the best use of $35-$40 million per year.
4 years or less don’t mess with Bellinger or Buehler
If they want to spend the money every year, why not get the best improvement available, while opening up massively valuable trade capital
At this point, it’s safe to assume Bauer isn’t going to stop them from keeping someone they plan to keep long term. The team is too intelligent. They have a line they are comfortable with Bauer, and if he takes it, he takes it. If not, oh well- guaranteed they at least rose the price for someone else
If the Angels let the Dodgers sign this guy, Arte should hang his head in the shame. The Red team needs him alot more than the Blue team.
Bauer and his agent are pretty funny via social media. This whole “fans pitch why I should come to your league” is kind of adorable for a young crowd. It’ll be a disappointing reality when they learn it’s about owner flexibility on payroll over anything. Including if a team is considered a contender.
He’ll go where the money is obviously. It just comes across as farcical to even pretend that he’ll be swayed by fans into going to a certain team. Maybe that plays for kids like you said, but the rest of us understand that it’s just vacuous junk content to get people engaging with and building his brand on social media.
The Dodgers do not need him. They would sign him so another contender wont have him.
As a blue jays fan, I don’t want Bauer. He has two sub 4.00 era seasons. He’s going to cost way too much. The jays have the $$ and need starting pitching but the money is better spent some where else.
I agree 100% – would prefer 2 of the 2nd tier guys for less combined AAV and most are available on 2-3 yr contracts.
Sounds like the price is likely dropping, especially if Tor is out with Springer
Opens them up to using Gonsolin and/or May more aggressively as trade bait. Have to think that means *potentially* gearing up for a trade for an impact 3B
Honestly I think this would be a bad fit for Bauer. Yes, I believe he is one of the best starters in baseball, but the Dodgers already have a really good rotation with six pitchers that are at least above average starters. Plus, they have to deal with a bunch of free agents on their own team in the next few years(Seager, Kershaw, etc.), so I’m not sure they want to give a bunch of money to Bauer.
Personally, I think the Blue Jays would be a good fit, as Bauer would pair with Ryu to give them a legit one-two punch at the top of their rotation, and the Angels are probably the next-best competitor, as they have a real need for an ace-caliber pitcher.
It’s a pretty safe assumption if LA gets Bauer, it’s at a price they will still spend to keep (or replace) whoever hits FA. They’re too smart to assume they will suddenly blow it up with a stupid move
I get what you are saying, but Bauer is not going to accept anything less than market value for his services. Sure, his market has decreased over the past few months, but he is still an in-demand pitcher. Plus, the Dodgers already have Buehler, Kershaw, Price, Urias, May, and Gonsolin, who range from being aces to above average starting pitchers. I don’t think a move for Bauer is a necessity for them.
If the Dodgers are serious about getting someone who could improve their team and still allow them to re-sign their top players, I think they should give the Reds a call about Eugenio Suarez.
If you get Bauer for 3-4 years, who cares if he makes 37M instead of 33 or whatever? The reason they are interested is they avoid a long term, 6-7-8 year commitment to a pitcher
Again this is me giving LA the benefit of the doubt. They have done their budget with Bauer and their other guys, and if they sign him, have decided they can do everything else they want. I just trust this FO isn’t that short sighted to price themselves out of the SS market next year for Bauer this year , for example
This move would likely mean they are moving on from JT and acquiring an impact 3b, to me. Therefore using one or both of their 5th option guys to start a trade package. Could be Suarez, but I think the aim would be Jose Ramirez or Chapman in Oak. May, Gonsolin and your pick of Lux or Ruiz gets any teams attention
This fo has made stacked moves before like I’m implying. They are trying to improve, any way they can
It is NOT going to be May and Gonsolin. Period.
Wouldn’t be the first time LA has a young guy come up, perform for a year, then trade him
As an Angels fan I hope the Angels don’t sign Bauer
Dodgers may know that Seager is gone with Boras calling shots…Kershaw & Jansen are also off books next year(over $80 ML off books!)…going over the Luxury threshold is probably not a concern for this year! Resets next season with all that $ coming off. I can see a short term deal on SP(Bauer?) plus JT short term deal(2+1?) and a DH(Ozuna?) and maybe another piece(utility type) at a lower AAV is all possible! Friedman has no real competition by anything on the horizon…sorry Padre Fans! Kudos to Preller for sure! Best thing to happen to SD in a long time! Could be Tampa West in SD with a bit larger budget! Happy to see it in SD!
There are 5 star to superstar SS on the market next year. They will have a very good shortstop in both 2021 and 2022
Tanaka + Hand > Bauer
…
Let the Dodgers pay the $30M a year (they won’t though, I agree this is posturing)
It’s also wrong.
If it’s a short term deal, it’s going to be more than $30 mil/ year.
Under 5 years I’d bet it’s 36.1M or more. He’s gonna want to beat Cole AAV, if he’s not taking the most money/longest offer
He will not beat cole’s money.
If he takes under 5 years, I think that’s exactly what it will take. 4 or less years, imo, he sets the aav record.
Otherwise 4 is too short, if he’s not setting an ego record, for him to not take the 100+m you know teams have offered in 5 or 6 year terms. I could be totally off, and Bauer 100% isn’t better than Cole, but it’s a free market. Ego records are often the target if they can’t get as much money as they thought they could. Look no further than JTR’s rumors to find another example
If this move happens, you can chalk it up to being a countermove stemming from the pressure moves the padres made this offseason. That said, it wouldn’t be great for baseball if Bauer became a dodger. I bet dodger fans would disagree but that’s fine, they are champs until someone beats them – which will most likely happen next season!
Eh. It’s way more about getting a bargain on Bauer+Turner overplaying his hand than the Padres. They still are swinging up
You don’t honestly believe that, do you?
Agree with everything you said….. … except the Dodger fan part
Im hoping he doesn’t land with us
I doubt this is coming from the closed mouth Dodger front office. Most likely it’s coming from the Bauer camp since his market has kind of stalled.
It says the dodgers Inniated contact. That’s pretty easy to refute if it wasn’t true
While the agent may have leaked it, I think it’s safe to say the dodgers gave the ok for it to come out. They don’t seem to like their business being public knowledge unless they’re playing a negotiation game with another player. Right now, that’s Turner
The White Sox spent a bit on their shiny new closer, but most of their moves have been lower in cost or reasonable market rates. It’s be nice to see them break the bank on Bauer. I don’t like him personally, but I also didn’t like Pierzyinski when he signed and that turned out pretty well.
I like the Sox 1, 2, and 3 in their rotation, but I’d love them as 2, 3, and 4, with Cease, Kopech and Lopez battling it out for the fifth spot.
Im just not seeing ANY team for Bauer stick out, even if he wanted to do his mercenary 1 yr plan whoes going 40 AAV today? …Nobody
Maybe a team like SF sees an opening if the market really drys up and hops in for like a 6/160
Unless you dictate exact terms this is just a stay away sign for me- Would love to see him CWS/TOR/WASH
Oh, come on. The Angels still have a major need AND the money to do it. And Bauer has ties to SoCal. I’d say the Angels are the front-runner, at this point. Pujols contract comes off the books at the end of this year. They could easily structure this to work.
I wouldn’t call going over the luxury tax easy. Signing Bauer based on one pandemic shortened year of excellence to a record AAV contract and having a resultant largest payroll in team history is anything but easy.
sonorawind – we have need and money, but we also have an owner who has shown year after year that he values a big bat over a big arm. I see Moreno waiting to the last minute to make a low ball offer in hopes of getting a deal, and Bauer signing with another team. Then Moreno will issue the standard line we hear every year: “We were in on Bauer but he obviously wanted to play elsewhere.”
I say forget Bauer and his ego and spend the money on more Quintana-like durable arms for depth, both rotation and pen.
Quintana-like?
Been there, done that. Six years and counting……..Mike Trout is going to be the Ernie Banks of this generation.
And what will he tell his grandchildren? “well, if we only had decent pitching and could hold a lead, it might have been different”.
Houston’s fortunes have turned in the last 24 hours. They get a solid backup for Maldo and they re-sign Brantley. All their young pitchers are a year old and more experienced. Astros are the favs in the AL West now; barring a big signing by the A’s (yeah, right!) or the Angels.
sonora – I’m not arguing with you so I’m sorry if I gave you that impression.
My opinion, based on Moreno’s history, is that he is more likely to spend money on bats instead of arms. (Pujols, Hamilton, Upton, et al) Plus I don’t think Bauer will mix well in the clubhouse. Quintana-like means pitchers who have decent numbers and are innings eaters. We not only need arms with good numbers, but our starters need to be able to pitch past the 4th or 5th inning.
What Mike Trout tells his grandkids is irrelevant. He is not the reason to build a winning team. The fans who pay the bills are the reason. I think Mike Trout would agree with me based on what I’ve heard about his character.
What baseball pundit has anointed the Astros as the AL favorites for the 2021 season? I haven’t heard that.
nothing wrong with being Ernie Banks (or Tony Gwynn, or Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Ken Griffey Jr,, Yaz, Killebrew, Ishiro, etc…). The WS ring in MLB isn’t the weight on players that it is in NBA or even NFL. I was happy to see Kershaw get his ring finally, but it doesn’t affect how I value his HOF career.
Banks was different than all of those. He never won a playoff game. Like Trout.
Actually, I dont think he ever played in one. But that was a different era. You won the pennant or you werent in the playoffs.
Take the long term security Bauer. Few pitchers carry a long shelf life. Dodgers might go more than 1-year to signal that he replaces Kershaw.
Since 2016, Kershaw has posted a 166 ERA+
Since 2018, 146
Last year? 196! That means he was nearly twice as valuable as the normal pitcher
Why on earth do fans assume the dodgers do not want to have Kershaw pitch his whole career in blue? They tried to sign him for more than 10 years in the past, but he didn’t want that much pressure, when he signed a 7 year deal. I do not see any reason to want kershaw gone
Hey LOL, can you point out the part where I said “Kershaw is leaving”? I must’ve missed that part.
I said replace, which isn’t to say Kershaw is leaving LA. Bauer signs and he along with Bueller are the top 2 arms in the rotation.
At the same time, Kershaw might ask for a lot of money and LA might not want to spend it on him. That’s the business, whether you see it or not.
Why on earth you would make assumptions over assumptions. Time for bed now. Good morning.
I mean dude you said it yourself. Replace. Go read the definition. Supplement or compliment are closer to the word you’re pretending you said
Replace implies one takes the spot of another. You specifically said replace in reference to kershaw’s FA as well. To anyone reading it, you’re suggesting Kershaw would be replaced by Bauer and who therefore would be allowed to leave in FA
If that’s not what you meant then it’s a moot point, but that’s how it read
I read it as Kershaw leaving or at least the dodgers not caring too much about retaining him, as well.
Replace as in Buehler 1 and Bauer 2, or vice versa. But thanks.
Also LAD might be looking at beyond 2021 and think Bauer will be better long term. Who knows. LAD is the best positioned team to win but also don’t need Bauer with their influx of talent in the organization. But let’s not lock Kershaw in as a sure-thing to stay in LA for his entire career. This is a business and both sides will make business decisions devoid of loyalty.
Oh yeah! The Dodgers will for sure resign Kershaw. That said, I’d bet money on him not pitching up to the extension, flat out because of his age and health. the fans want him so, the owners will oblige… I get it.
I’ve never liked the dodgers or dodger fans, ever since a group of dodger fans pulled a knife on my dad when he took me to a padre dodger game when I was 11 back in 98.
But regardless of what happens, its gonna be fun watching these two teams play. Padres have a much better chance of the dodgers don’t get bauer, but if they do, it will create for some truly wonderful games
So youve held a 24 year long grudge against an entire fan base and team, because some guy, who more than likely is a convict if you’re not lying, jumped you as a kid?
1 guys defines an entire group of people that equals 4M fans a year at games and way more watching at home, for the last 24+ years? And I’m Going out on a limb with the + that you’re not dropping this overnight. But 1 guy? Talk about unhealthy grudges
Oh don’t even pretend that the way you or any of the other dodger fans treat anyone would be redeeming factors.
But yeah, I agree with you, it is an unhealthy grudge. But if it hadn’t been for that criminal behavior present in many encounters since, I’d probably have a changed opinion.
Maybe nowadays its just internet trolls and not an entire fanbase.
One this is for certain though, this year will be fun to watch
“ Oh don’t even pretend that the way you or any of the other dodger fans treat anyone would be redeeming factors.”
Oh Cmon. You’ve never met me in life and are looping me in with a likely convict… then telling me I’m being extreme? maybe don’t pretend everyone in an entire fan base is a criminal?
There’s quite a difference between pointing out potential flaws in a roster and pulling a knife on someone.
Wrong! It’s beautiful. That’s how rivalries start. Put all the dodger fans in a coffin yung lurk
It’s not a rivalry when only one side calls it a rivalry and the other side calls it their southern home
@damascusj
Yeah so sad, I hear people say good things about Dodger Stadium, before the 90’s.
There’s only one baseball team in Los Angeles.
@ Reflect: and that’s the Brooklyn Dodgers?
Yes, since the Angels clearly play in Anaheim but they refer themselves as the Los Angeles Angels because of $$$.
Padres, put up or shut up! It all looks good on paper, but we will see after a 162 games who the true champions are and it’s not the Fathers!
Imagine the rage when we put up
Have the Padres traded Wil Myers for Noah Syndergaard yet?
$600MM/6 years sounds reasonable.
Dodgers getting Bauer would be just an insane pitching staff to the point of unfair.
Bauer would be foolish to not grab his 5/6yr 150-200ish deal now. All the stars aligned to come off a short season against many of MLBs worst offenses. Angels, Giants or Mets would likely pay him the bundle.
Agreed. It would be so dumb for him to take a short deal with high AAV and hope he doesn’t get seriously hurt.
With the Mets, Jays, and Angels seemingly out on giving him a monster deal his market has really gone to the crapper. I guess it’s possible to get a larger AAV deal from the Dodgers, but regardless of what Bauer says that would be idiotic. Injuries happen all the time to pitchers. Take the guaranteed large deal when you can.
*I meant short deal with a large AAV from the Dodgers
There’s only one baseball team in Los Angeles.
the Brooklyn Robins?
The Lancaster JetHawks?
No wonder all my nephew’s little league games got canceled this year.
The Angels have the greatest need, but it would be very “Anaheim” for them to lose him to the Dodgers.
I wouldn’t sign Bauer to anything more than 2 years. The guy is overrated, he had a great 2020 and one other good season. The rest he has shown to be nothing better than a #3 starter.
Would you say the same thing about Cole? His career peripherals are nearly exactly the same as Cole.
Cole’s numbers in the AL carry far greater importance. The DH makes a big difference. Last year only having a DH in 60 games doesn’t equal what Cole has done. Cole had a complete resurrection of his career. I agree that Bauer is overrated to a degree. He hasn’t had the back to back to back consistent years Cole has had. And the comparison about a week ago between Cole and Bauer clearly favors Cole. The case is valid but overvalued. He won MVP in a 60 game season.
His career peripherals are nearly exactly the same as Cole.
===========================================================
There is no comparison. Cole is better in:
ERA
ERA+
K/W
Whip
HR/9
BB/9
K/9
Hits/9
Is there anything you can think of that Bauer is better at?
Agreed. Even though the peripheral are similar, the eye test alone says Cole is much better. With that said I don’t think Bauer gets half what Cole got which is maybe a discount give the market value Cole set.
In his one playoff game vs a league leading Braves line up Bauer went 7 2/3 striking out 12 of 23 outs while walking none and only giving up 2 hits w 0 runs. Cole nor any other pitcher in baseball history can make that claim.
Is he really over rated ? Or are u just a hater ??
Felix Hernandez had a perfect game neither Cole nor Bauer had that why he not in the conversation? Thats 9 innings 0 hits 0 walks 12 strikeouts. Hernandez for 10/400? .do you think he accepts or we need to go higher? Because that one game makes him better than every other pitcher out there.
In the postseason, often players become single minded and tend to try to take the game in their own hands. Similar to extra innings when neither team can muster a base hit for a while. The Braves are still very young sans a few veterans and can explain the Ks. But just a single game sample hardly calls for him to compare to Cole. I’m not hating but c’mon… Cole has been far more dominant the past few years and has continued that success in a tightly contested AL East. Btw… Sad Red Sox fan haha.
Doc Halliday pitched a no no for the Phillies in the play offs.
Nice try though.
“In his one playoff game….” is a heck of a limitation. Phillip Hubner, a lightly regarded ex-Mets pitcher, threw a perfect game for the CWS in 2012. One game isn’t a good barometer for a pitcher.
I tend to agree that no one should sign Bauer long term. This will be interesting. His agent is a younger woman that must be pushing him to sign a long term deal. Any agent would be dumb not to. He has had 1.5 very good years. The rest of his work not as good. There is always risk involved and I’m sure most of his suitors are looking to sign him for a year or two. Few can sustain peak performance for many years. Supposedly his improvement came from a pitching lab. Probably from using a gripping substance. Search YouTube. I would not go more than 2/60. Suspect 2/70 or 3/100 coming from someone.
So his comps are Cole, King Felix and Roy Halliday. Time to throw the “1.5 good season” and “#3 starter” out the window. Dudes a beast and there is few like him
I can’t stand Bauer, but he didn’t have just a good half season… he was 6th in CY in 2018 and led MLB in FIP… his upside is very high… he reminds me of Corbin’s career arc… he wouldn’t be the first top prospect to take several years to figure it out
angels are blowing past the threshold!
Get it done Perry.
So, Dodgers then
dodgers have no need for him. the only reason they might be interested is to prevent him going to the competition.
“ the only reason they might be interested is to prevent him going to the competition.”
You really think the dodgers care what the angels or Toronto does? That’s Bauer’s market if you believe the rumors. I don’t think they will lose sleep if he pitches in Anaheim or Toronto, assuming it’s for more than they would want to pay him
LA’s FO has a value that they feel a player is worth, and if the market stays in that ballpark, they jump in late to check if their offer will stand up to the others. But they don’t bid against their own offer, and I doubt the angels or Toronto intimidates LAD to feel LA needs to block Bauer from either location
I’m skeptical that the Mets are really a frontrunner for Bauer. It definitely doesn’t seem like they’d be willing to outbid another team for him.
They offered Springer 6/135 and he took more money from Toronto. I see no reason why they wouldn’t be in on Bauer
You added about 10-15m to most reports about the Mets, to make it closer I guess. Their final offer was 6/120-125 from everything I’ve seen on this site
if it was 6/135 i think springer would have gone to ny the difference in his take home after you factor the extra taxes and travel for the family along with the few extra for agent would be very minimal difference for the convenience it would provide.
.
Come on Mets. Please do it. I cannot save myself from the nightmares I will have with Bauer on the Angels.
hey, rangers won’t be challenging the angels for a while!
We’re shooting for Christian Little in the 2022 draft. I feel like I’m early to his hype train, but I am on the hype train indeed.
too early to issue that hype, lest one become chicken little
Ramirez to the Champs would be outstanding.Rios,Gonsolin,Mitchel White & DJ Peters……..Lux isn’t going anywhere.
Send Lux. Keep Rios, Gonsolin and DJ Peters.
Ramirez isn’t going anywhere.
Bauer to LAA
That’s where he’s the best fit and it’s where I’d prefer him to be
That was always my prediction for him; makes most sense. However, he apparently had a bad relationship with Mickey Callaway in Cleveland and he’s now the pitching coach in LAA. As a Mets fan, I prefer the Mets don’t waste the money him when they have guys like Lindor, Conforto, Syndergaard and Stroman to think about resigning or extending
So this is encouraging. This will be the first time the Angels have addressed their pitching issues in years if they pull this off.
They tried to sign Cole last year and were outbid by the Yankees. Similar could happen this year bidding against the Mets.
It continues to boggle my mind how some think the Angels can just snap their fingers and top FA starting pitchers will sign with them. They have tried to sign every top level FA SP the last couple of years. All of these guys simply signed elsewhere because the Angels were outbid on years or for other personal reasons.
Don’t count out Toronto in the Bauer sweepstakes. They have the payroll space and the money to sign him either short term or long term. Also, if Bauer decides to take a 1 year deal, watch out for AA in Atlanta. He has shown in the past he’s not afraid to pay big money for a short term deal and he would make the Atlanta pitching staff deadly. It would be the perfect place for him to sign a one year deal.
I hope he doesn’t sign with the Mets. I don’t want to deal with his buffoonery, even if it’s 1 season.
Mets can Add Bauer But would have to go over The Luxury Tax This Year & Would be able to fit him in when STROMAN & SYNDERGAARD Hit FA (They Total about 30M combined) this would give Them In 2022 deGROM, Bauer, Carrasco, Peterson,
Luchessi …
What about Cano?
…or money to sign Conforto? DeGrom also has a player opt out coming, so they may want to get ahead of that too. The luxury tax thresholds will be raised after this year, but no one knows by how much.
…and, oh yeah, that Lindor guy is going to cost a lot more next year m, unless they plan to let him walk, which is doubtful.
I wonder if he would take 2/75 with 3 team options written such that he stays as the highest AAV pitcher in MLB each year. Let him have the AAV record then prove he is worth it yrs 3-5.
My pitch as a Dodger would be 2/$75mm with an opt out after the first year. If he’s taking less years and less total dollars you can’t put in team options you need to give the player more options. Maybe with COVID he feels like he gets a better shot at a better contract after next year. If he’s betting on himself he’s getting even more money after a successful 2021 season. If he is not as good as 2020 he at least gets paid very well in 2022 and can still get a decent contract after the 2022 season. He’ll get to bet on himself, pitch with a proven winning playoff team, pitch at home, Driveline connection and the Dodgers may be more open to some of his out of the box ideas like pitching on three days rest for the entire season.
I hope the Mets pass on Bauer, unless they can do a 1-2 higher AAV deal, and even then I’d be holding my breath.. deGrom has a player opt-out after the 2022 season. He is one of maybe 2-3 pitchers I’d consider $30mm AAV to be worthwhile. Bauer is no deGrom.
The Mets do have to consider the payroll penalties, but I think it is more about not giving out albatross contracts that would screw up their ability to extend homegrown talent. I’m actually less concerned about the CBA penalties because the CBA has to be re-negotiated after 2021 and it is greatly disliked by the MLBPA. It was a very poorly negotiated deal last time, so I expect the MLBPA to come out wanted bigger concessions.
I’d go so far as to say if it’s not a one year deal (at absurd $$, obviously), Mets should be out.
I wonder what the plan is for the Mets for the next 3-5 years. Assuming they re-sign Conforto and Lindor, and assuming they either resign or replace Syndergaard and Stroman, then with Cano back on the payroll, they are going to be blowing way past the tax threshold without adding another dime to the current roster. Are going to let the payroll drift up towards $300 million for a few years with the goal to rebuild the farm system so that they can eventually come back down to a more sustainable number?
If not, then the window is going to close really quickly.
Sign already so a team still has time to add more pieces to puzzle!
Go Jays Go!
Blue Jays Pitch 4 Years 150 Million Dollars with a Player Option in Year 4!!
Mets need to get him.
Wouldn’t be wise, would essentially give them a 1 year run with lindor, conforto and degrom going free agent next summer….yikes
deGrom isn’t a free agent next year
Has opt out.
Depends what we mean by “next year” or “next summer” here. The opt out isn’t after this next season, 2021, but he does have an opt out after next year, 2022. He will trip that unless he’s injured or suffers a rapid decline. He should try to renegotiate it after this season, shooting to break Cole’s AAV. He’ll never get the total value Cole did because he’s older. It feels like deGrom is still in his 20s because he’s so dominant, but he arrived late, not getting called up until he was already 26, and really hit his peak stride until 2018 when he was already 30-years-old. He’s heading into his age-33 season this year and when he opts out after 2022, teams would be looking to sign him for his age 35-season and beyond. It’s hard to project someone like him, that’s why I’d go for a new contract now to remove that overhang that he could opt out Is he a new and righty version of Randy Johnson, who built his HOF case in his 30, pitching effectively into his early 40s? Or is he just about to exit his peak? An expensive decision coming.
There was a reported split decision between Cohen and Alderson regarding one wanting Bauer and the other wanting Springer. Was it Cohen who wanted Bauer? If so, he may have purposely left the offer to Springer short of funding, forcing Alderson to now focus on Bauer. Or maybe I have it backwards and Cohen wanted Springer.
Doesn’t matter. Mets are the only serious contender for Bauer is what I’m reading. To even mention the Angels in serious contention for Bauer, particularly over the Mets, is comedic at this point. “Sorry Mike [Trout], we even tried to get Trevor, but the Mets outbid us. You know, COVID and stuff.” – Art Moreno.
Yes, it was Cohen who reportedly wanted Bauer. With Springer gone, seems logical Cohen gets his guy. Cohen likes to tweet and stuff he might dig Bauers antics.
Would make that rotation as good as anyones next year. Mets fans better hope and prob rightfully so if they do sign Bauer that payroll the next few years is going to be 250-300m.
Good piece on Bauer – m.youtube.com/watch?v=-8zgvK1UAH4
I don’t think he’s incredibly overrated but for al the people commenting on the springer deal, I think this one (no matter where he lands) takes the cake. If (IF) he’s truly seeking more than Cole then everyone should pass. The guy isn’t worth the money he’s apparently seeking. I’m often wrong, but if I’m the Jays, take from your surplus and trade for someone. And don’t sign Paxton.
Hope he goes to Mets….more antics in the Met world
If the Mets sign him, then next offseason is going to be a rough one for them. It would make them a better team for 2021 but could potentially hurt them big in 2022. I just don’t see it as a smart investment (not to mention Bauer’s inconsistencies), but hey, it’s not my money.
I can’t believe the Twins aren’t willing to spend over $30 million a year for a pitcher!
The Angels have signed expensive players, but it seems they usually blink first whenever they’re in a battle with a team that really wants a player too. Hard to see Bauer not going to the Mets if he’s now their focused target.
Bauer would be good to slot in as either a #2 or 3 option in the rotation. It’s quite possible Carrasco is better as I think 2020 was everything aligning for Bauer, but I also think he’s very good. If Stroman is suddenly your fourth starter, and 5th once Thor returns, you have a hell of a rotation.
scott boras allegedly took the angels final offer and got the yanks to add on. and every sane person knows that contract is not going to end well.
I’m pretty sure the Yankees only need about 5 good years out of Cole’s contract for them to consider it worthwhile
Thanks for chiming in Steinbrenner. You’re saying that the Yankees would be fine with 5 years of good Cole (which is no guarantee). And they’ll be fine if the other 4 years for $144mil suck? You’re delusional.
The Yankees have annual revenue around $700M, which depends on being contenders every year. Cole’s contract is a drop in the bucket to them.
I think this offseason is showing that’s not really true.
“but it seems they usually blink first whenever they’re in a battle with a team that really wants a player too” This is a joke right? They have been outbid on years. We’ll see how that works out.
Bauer is a nice 30 million a year #3 starter who could implode at any moment..
Agreed. The risk just isn’t worth the reward in my opinion. Especially if you’re a team like the Mets. They have three pitchers, possibly four depending how you view Stroman, who have had better careers at this point than him.
Rosenthal is having a real tough go of it as far as rumors are concerned.
Yet he’s been given a pass for the most part.
Bauer next Sandy Koufax!
Before or after Koufax retired?
rct, you made me laugh out loud.
Jay’s need someone better then ryu. Not sure if that is Bauer. His personality is not for everyone. I think he is talented. A strong #2 and possibly #1. Had a epic 2 months. Any team can use him. Just few teams are buying.
Your first line is correct. I do think it’s Bauer and I see Jays fans are going wobbly legged. Offering Bauer 5-6 years at under $30-mil a year is something I’d be comfortable with as a Jays fan. If Bauer remains durable the offense will score and win games even if he’s tossing 6 1/3 innings of 3 run baseball. Could see him doing that repeatedly.
Bauer is the difference between making the playoffs and neither in the World Series!
Being!
Mets will be releasing half the team couple years from now ..
Difference between the Jays and Mets are big. Jays are better in every category, or just as talented, other then starting pitching Where the Mets have the clear advantage.
Depth, a much deeper farm system, stable front office, financial flexibility. If you’re looking to be a sustainable winner and look to win for a long time, I’d rather be the Jays. You want a one and done, or a two year run, go with the Mets.
The Mets have a better lineup so I don’t know what you’re talking about
Yeah, but “arguably” the Jays are just as talented. And how long will you have the better lineup, for 1 season, a couple more seasons. What if one or two of your key players go down?
Then once again, you’re the lonely old Mets, just this time you have the same payroll as the Yankees, If not more. Spending your whole payroll in one offseason.. Doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know, that isn’t the way you build a winner.
This version of mets is going to get very expensive next year.
With that said they are in the largest market and they have the richest owner. They may have to raise payroll to around 300m for a bit. Not unheard-of, the dodgers have been there.
So id rather be in the Mets current spot then the Jay’s. If the Jay’s land Bauer I think it’s fairly close, if the Mets land Bauer the Mets will have a championship caliber team. Think jays are Bauer + away from that.
Can the Mets handle both the personalities of Stroman & Bauer?
I know many Twins fans feel like getting an elite pitcher would show the Twins mean business but man, I don’t want this guy on my team.
1.) He’s really just a terrible person. He’s a bully online, he’s transphobic, he’s pushed anti-semetic tropes. He’s at the least controversial and at the most a bigot. Not sure how that plays in Minnesota, especially after the George Floyd protests last year. He’s a walking liability from management perspective, he has no filter and often seems to purposefully try to antagnoize people.
2.) He got rave reviews from his Reds teammates last year but he left Cleveland with a lot of enemies among his teammates. If he costs the Twins Cruz, I’m not sure I love the clubhouse. You’ll have removed Rosario and Cruz, two popular guys, for a guy who has shown up defenders when they make errors and been pretty Trevor-focused his entire career.
3.) He is not the top-end pitcher he’s billed to be. He had a massive year in a short sample last year but other than that, has only had one other dominant year. There’s a decent chance that even in year 1 of that deal he wouldn’t be the Twins best pitcher.
I was terrified when I heard rumors the Twins were in on Trevor Bauer yesterday and relieved when they were debunked. I can’t think of a worse offseason move than signing him to some massive deal. I’m not sure I’d want him for 1 year $15 mill. He’s just toxic.
I’m sure have much more info on who he is as a person and teammate then all the other MLB teams with massive staffs, whose job it is to find out that sort of info and then cross check the accuracy of it.
Sure….♂️
I don’t know if he’s right or wrong about Bauer’s personality issues but either way every team will have their own views on these things. A player whose personality is seen by one team as toxic to the clubhouse environment could be seen as exactly what the clubhouse needs on another.
Well, that’s the thing. For any of us commenting on this site to act like we know more about the teams do is just ridiculous though. They have access to truths we never would be to get. There’s no doubt Bauer seems a bit strange and probably does bring a bit of risk, but if he pitches great that’s by far the most important thing. Also, to say you don’t even want him for 1/15 million is beyond ridiculous, and a credibility losing comment.
1) online bullying is something you can find in comments on this site. Bauer is just another human being with an excellent arsenal of pitches. The state of Minnesota has greater problems than a Trevor Bauer sighting.
2) Cleveland hasn’t gotten better since he left. Bauer clearly wasn’t the issue.
3) He’s the reigning Cy Young winner
Your fake outrage is another team’s gain. Enjoy your first round exit again – that’s if your Twins are good enough to make the playoffs.
1) No one is saying that signing Trevor Bauer would become the biggest problem in the state of Minnesota. That’s absurd and you’re arguing a strawman. Further, online bullying existing in many locations does not excuse it in any location.
2) Bauer was on Cleveland for half of 2019. They were 63-44 with him for an 0.588 winning percentage. They stumbled a little after trading him (30-25; 0.545 winning percentage), but went 35-25 (0.583) last year. They may not have gotten better without Bauer, but they certainly didn’t get much worse.
3) True, but this was over 11 starts. After he got traded to the Reds in 2019, he had 10 starts, and they were disastrous. Bauer is just as likely to be average–or worse– as he is to be productive/high-end.
4) the outrage isn’t fake. Bauer can be a Grade A jerk. You can find this out by googling him if you’d like.
Overrated thats why the unlucky Mets get Bauer.
Why would the Mets go over the luxury tax for a position that’s not really a glaring need when they didn’t do it for Springer?
Bauer is a bust.
Cohen is smarter than that.
Mets: don’t sign Bauer. You know those big contracts never work!
Bauer will not work out.
They must trade for Bryant and sign Hand.
Padres?
Dodgers feelin pressure?
After adding Bauer, the Dodgers will have the best rotation in the game (Kershaw, Bauer, Buehler, Price, Urias, May, Gonsolin), while maintaining the best lineup in MLB… As well as a Top 3-5 Farm, the top upper management, and FAR & AWAY the ultimate in Player Development.
Sorry Pad’s fans… Maybe look to the Rockies & D’Backs first. Then you can toy around with saying you can compete with #1.
✌
Who are you talking to? There are no Padres fans here.