In the latest chapter of Trevor Bauer’s unconventional trip through free agency, the right-hander revealed in a video that he had a call set to talk with the Blue Jays — specifically mentioning that he planned to talk with their pitching coach (Pete Walker) and high performance coach (presumably VP of high performance Angus Mugford).
While many fans have had some fun with the fact that the Blue Jays have been linked to virtually every free agent on the market this winter, Bauer’s meeting with them is still plenty notable. Few clubs are expected to be major spenders this winter, but Toronto is among the likeliest teams to sign a major free agent. The Blue Jays’ current $84MM projected payroll (via FanGraphs/Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez) is about half the franchise-record $163MM, set back in 2017.
Beyond that flexibility, the Toronto front office — headed up by president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins — is quite familiar with Bauer. Both Atkins and Shapiro were in the Indians organization when Cleveland originally acquired Bauer from the Diamondbacks; Shapiro was the team’s president at that point and Atkins the director of player development.
Among top-tier free agents, the Blue Jays have been most prominently linked to outfielder George Springer in recent weeks. The Jays reported to be one of two finalists to sign Springer. The Mets, the other apparent Springer finalist, have been tied to Bauer in their own right, although Springer is said to be New York’s priority at this time.
Toronto’s current rotation features Hyun Jin Ryu, Robbie Ray, Tanner Roark, Ross Stripling and highly touted 24-year-old Nate Pearson. Penciling Bauer into that mix alongside Ryu would give them a formidable one-two punch atop the rotation with plenty of upside behind them. Ryu is coming off consecutive Top 3 finishes in Cy Young voting, while Bauer of course won the National League Cy Young Award in 2020.
He talked to them on zoom from San Diego
With his pen on the contract and Preller standing next to him.
My boy saw him leave a Solana Beach car wash. Definitely confirmed in SD. Make it happen 2 year deal
A 2 yr deal would get you hung up on
For normal players ya but Bauer has said he’s good taking high dollars instead of term so a 2 year probably between50-60 million would make sense
Why does it have to be a 2 year deal? SD could sign him for 5-7 no problem.
If its 2 years it would reportedly be 35 to 40 per year so it would be at least 70 to 80
Cuz he thinks he can make more on short term deals
I think he lives in the area. SD is not in on Bauer.
Bauer’s home is in Houston, TX. SD could definitely be in on Bauer. Not much of a reason for him to be in the area unless he had an in person meeting with the organization.
Cole got that kind of AAV over ten years. If he’s taking a short term pact he wants more per year. If I were Bauer I might bet on myself once on a short term high AAV pact but after that it’s too risky. Teams will pay you on a long term deal knowing they are buying your best years but that you’ll almost surely fall off on the back end. Those years are highly valuable for the player.
@Michael B
I don’t think the Padres are eager to give Bauer a contract after trading for Snell and Darvish. He is from LA and has probably just been hanging out in So Cal over the holidays.
Not only that, he knows that people will chatter if he lets it be known that he’s been in San Diego. Trevor loves attention.
I can’t recall a FA in recent years who created as much anxiety among fans. I have Dodger friends who are worried they might sign him. His potential is all over the place; CY sure perhaps, then again 4.5 ERA is a possible outcome and at $40 mil/yr I’m not sure he’s a wise risk for the Pads who have already secured an elite rotation. A closer and position depth might be best money spent at this point.
Hmmm. He was born in California. Wonder if he still has family there
Manny and Harper ?
He was visiting his family for the holidays in SoCal
If anyone pays him more than 20 million a season then they’re crazy.
Huh? Every GM and nearly every fan would presume to pay Bauer more than $20m per season. Same thought but with $30m is perhaps a more reasonable statement. Tho Bauer will probably get more than $30m too.
“ Not much of a reason for him to be in the area unless he had an in person meeting with the organization. “
Bauer could have been on vacation in SD as it is one the the more visited places in the USA. Dah
Agreed.
30 million per is quite the overpay for a player with a lot of mediocre play on his resume with one and a half years of all star play peppered in.
@Brewer
I think a lot of this has to do with the approach taken by Bauer. Bauer is a different kind of guy love him or hate him. He’s stated for years he may take a different approach in free agency which opens up a lot of different scenarios and he’s also made it know this is going to be a very public courtship. He’s not going to tell someone who’s going to leak a little info he’s going to tell everyone himself. Coming off a stellar year the situation is just right for him to play his cards just right(minus covid possibly). Blue Jays with their payroll situation do make a ton of sense but I wouldn’t discount the Angels I think they will finally get not only one stellar starter but go after pitching as a whole. Their lineup is great but not getting any younger the iron is hot for them they can’t go this far just to stop. Don’t think Phillies will land Bauer but they are also in need of pitching in the rotation and the pen. Some players aren’t going to get what they would have 12 months ago but they will eventually sign covid pillow contracts
@OBP
Don’t mean to put words in your mouth but if you are wondering about where he lives now and if it may affect where he signs I think Bauer he’s made it clear he will be taking the highest offer.
@pwndroia
Lots of crazy gms then because it’s happening. He’s in his prime coming off a great season. He’s definitely the number one free agent pitcher and likely the most coveted free agent period.
2 years? lol you’re looking at 5 minimum..
never happen not for 2. that would be an insult
Because he lives there?
*cue flood of polarized opinions*
He’s great.
He’s overrated.
He’s engaging.
He’s a loon.
Everyone loves a poll…except strippers maybe, no one wants to bring their work home with them
What if you are the stripper?
Nobody has been excited about my nudity in years
He has fun tweets.
His tweets are lame.
Bauer’s stats to this point in his career is the same as James ( Big game) Shields, so he might be a little overrated.
I think the Enterprise depended too much on Shields.
Beam me up?
They had to rely on Shields. They had no cloaking device.
Like this Shields comp, Bauer is riskier than people may think. His career has been slightly above average and his big season came in a short sample size. He’s a gamer though and his floor is prob as a #3 throughout whatever contract he signs, but prob more of a #2.
Shields was solid until he was not
Yes he was, and he would probably make himself available again for the right offer.
What’s with Bauer’s Wearing all these different teams baseball caps Bauer is like a used car salesman Pippin his ride
He’s all of the above.
I think the Blue Jays have become what the Mariners were for long stretches of the 2010s, in terms of FA.
Like a team to use as a bid jumper, until he gets the right price from a team he would want?
Nah, he won’t sign with jays. I will be right. So don’t get mad at me and say I don’t know and that I am talking out of my caboose. I know for a fact he won’t be a jay, so don’t me give that. You’re wrong and I’m right.
*cue flood of caramelized onions*
No complaints here haha
YES
Good Mets please stay away. Not worth cole money. Cole isn’t even worth cole money. Only Degrom is. I’d sign him for a wheeler contract but he won’t get that.
@MetsFan22 I actually agree here. Bauer deserves a Wheeler contract, but he’s going to want a lot more than that. Bauer has figured out quite a lot the last few seasons, and I think he will be solid wherever he goes, but he’s not one of the top 3 pitchers in the league. Still deGrom, Bauer, Stroman, Syndergaard, Peterson is pretty appealing.
Appealing yes but, I feel Degrom has to be the highest paid pitcher on this staff. I’m not in favor of any pitcher who is not better than Jacob coming in and making more than him. IMO Bauer’s reported asking price ($ and years) is too high and the Mets should move on.. The $40 mil NOT spent on Bauer would get them multiple pieces. .They need more than 1 starter.
Plus, IMO the contract Bauer’s looking for is the kind of contract you give out when you don’t have an Ace. I mean if you had to choose 1 pitcher to start a must win game, who are you choosing?
I’d choose Degrom 10 times outta 10..
40 mil for a #2 in your rotation doesn’t make sense to me and that’s what Bauer will be in the Mets rotation.
I think you’re underestimating deGrom’s professionalism. He would deal with Bauer making more than him. Syndergaard is another issue, but deGrom wouldn’t have a problem.
Most of all, deGrom wants to win. He wants back to the World Series more than anything. It has been a few years already with lots of high expectations for the team but disappointments. And yes, gove me Jacob with any jmportant game o the line
Sorry i wasn’t clear, I’m not assuming nor would I expect he’d have an open issue with it. I guess my point was just Degrom would be the best pitcher on the staff even if Bauer signed. Bauer would be making more being a #22. It wouldn’t make sense to me have your #2 making more than your Ace.
If DeGrom wasn’t on the team I might feel different but I’d rather see them spend that money over more pieces.
Sydergaard is a whole other issue hehe..
EasternLeagueVeteran. Understood, I just think that Bauer alone doesn’t get them there. They need more. So that move for me wouldn’t be the one to make for those $’s and years that have been reported.
Wait a minute.
Didn’t @MetsFan22 have Bauer as one of his guaranteed signings that were the reason that the Mets were going to be better than the Braves and one of the Top 3 teams in the NL?
Hmmmm…this reversal must be the sign of lost hope…like the guy who knew the hot chick was about to reject him, so he beats her to the punch with, “I’m not really interested her. I’ll keep my options open.”
I never did… now Ik you’re making things up…. I said the Mets will probably get 1 big main piece and smaller pieces…
Okay, then who are the free agents that you were referring to when you have stated multiple times that you’re expecting the Mets to be what you said based on the free agents they’ll sign?
Let’s get this on record so it eliminates your deniability later.
I said I don’t know how we will sign but when we do our pitching will be serviceable and our offense will be even better when we had a top 5 offense already. I never specified who we were going to get. I’m guessing springer and sugano or Odorrizi. But I’m not sure who yet. All ik is that I’ll be looking for you around July when marlins and Mets are going in completely different directions. ( and I also don’t think the Braves have no shot of wining the division. It wouldn’t shock me if the Braves win the division.
So if they sign Jordan Zimmerman and Rusney Castillo, they will still win 95 games?
And you wouldn’t be shocked if the defending division champion Braves won the division over the last place Mets?
And you’ll be looking for me in July? Will it be like you were looking for me on this site this past September? Oh wait…
Okay, on to 2021. I can’t wait for your excuses.
Bro do you read??? I clearly said a big main piece… that means springer Bauer Lindor ect. One of those. And smaller pieces. Like oddorrizi sugano Hendricks etc. one of two of players like that. Please read.
So, if they don’t get studs, they aren’t getting to the 95 wins you predicted?
Well it’s probably going to happen so I don’t know what’s your point . If we do nothing we still probably get 2nd place. Nats and Phillies don’t look to be good next year.
But you are still sure that the Mets are the #3 team in the NL right?
According to his previous posts they are…unless he wants to start backtracking on that too or getting more of his selective amnesia again.
Yes I 100% believe that by the time the offseason ends they will be top 3.
As a long time Mets fan I have to agree with MetsFan22. on this issue. Please, for the love of all that is Holy let Steve Cohen here my prayers. Trevor Bauer is NOT worth the money it will take to sign him. I’m not saying he’s not a good pitcher, but he is soooo overrated. His track record is nowhere near superstar level, and while he will be a serviceable pitcher somewhere, please let it not be on the Mets. Go after Springer, Odorrizzi and Sugano, but please, stay the heck away from Trevor Bauer.
Odorrizi, yes that is a big market championship type move! What is “ik”? Just type out the words it is really not that difficult. Lol Mets!!!
@MarlinsFanBase
Look, we are all really bored at home, but there’s no need to bring receipts to sports fans, almost all sports takes end up wrong anyway – its just bantering and most of it done by homers around here, it doesn’t mean anything really, so there’s no need to bring up old stuff.
It shows you personally care way too much about stuff said in here than you should. Don’t take everything so personally.
@Marty McRae
It’s just having fun with the most delusional fan on here who blabbers nonstop about how great his team is, dismissing my and other fans’ teams (especially in the NL East), while he makes these predictions that he can’t even own up to later or smokews to much to remember when he’s called out for them.
I get it that he’s young, but when he wants to argue with the adults, he’s going to learn the hard way.
That’s all this is.
You haven’t showed me anything the “hard way” lol….
BTW, since you mentioned you’re in your 20s, I am wondering…
What position do/did you play in college?
What position did you play in high school?
What positions did you play in travel ball?
What positions did you play in rec ball?
I.ve played in the minors and the majors. Bass, not baseball.
Go for a walk, go for a run, get outside. Lose yourself in nature.
Then come back and waste some more time here. It’s all fun.
My questions were for @MetsFan22
I’m with marlinsfanbase mets22 has said an awful lot of crazy here the last 2 months every MLBTR post is some skewed Mets stats to fit his delusion. I’m fine if he can actually back what he says or actually uses stats that makes sense but you can’t come and says Mets pitching in 2020 was the best ever and 2020 hitting doesn’t count but hey the Mets 2019 hitting was off the charts. Pick a season for the stats don’t mix and match things that don’t make sense.
You’re just a Mets fan. DeGrom might be better, but Cole is worth the money
I’m a Mets fan, and I love deGrom, but I agree, Cole is worth every penny the Yankees paid for him. I would have happily shelled out the money for him to be part of the Orange and Blue.
I’d argue that mad max is the only one worth that money from prime until now
Also the headline does not reflect what is said in the writeup. He hasn’t had the meeting yet.
heck is a “high performance coach?”
Better than the opposite I suppose.
true
@darkside –
If you have to ask…
Basically it’s someone who goes through all your analytics and those machines that measure spin rates on pitches and so on to make recommendations too mathy for a pitching coach.
hmm, that follows
He supplies “muscle milk” to the players lol
VP of marketing at GNC?
Correct. Performance science staffers have overtaken traditional coaches in numbers in many organizations.
How much now? $300MM/5 years?
four years one billion
With a player opt-out
no deferrals, all guaranteed, paid in bitcoin
I’m thinking more like $4B for 1 year, plus incentives
It’s not enough, how will he pay for the planets he wants to buy!?
That Dr. Evil money
go big or go home
Somebody do me a favor and sign loony Bauer Free agency is rigged
I say you give him a million bucks for every pitch he makes next season, then you break his arms!
Sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind- I view Bauer as a little risky moving forward but Toronto would be a great landing spot/ fit for all parties imo
Bauer JBJ and a couple mid range Rps and lets head to camp here
Bauer Ryu Pearson with Ray Roark Strip behind is a playoff staff
No Bauer Ryu Pearson with Ray Roark Stripling is not a playoff staff. Pearson is learning and not elite or even good yet. Roark and Stripling might not be in the bigs by mid season. Ray is a crap shoot. Jays still need another very good starter to your list.
Typically playoffs you need 3 starters. So ya I would say that is a playoff rotation. Plus who’s to say they don’t get another good starter at the deadline
Did the Jays land a good starter at the deadline in 2020? No
You see 3 starting pitchers, playoff starting pitchers out of those names? Exactly what game are you watching, if any? Ryu is the only guy out of the bunch that can be trusted. Please stop lying to us and yourself. The Jays need Bauer and another arm. Stripling nor Roark should be starting.
Walker was a good starter for the Jays. Borderline great.
Make playoffs, even finish above .500 being the goal for 2020. Walker definitely helped there.
Mariners probably sneak the 8 seed if they kept him?
Win playoffs, or at least division being a goal for 2021 says more pitching depth is still needed. A Walker/Shoemaker level combo puts them in the battle for a 5 seed. If any other AL East team adds an impact arm, things might change, but for now, the rest of the division is full of holes as well.
Oh I didn’t realize every season is only indicative of the weirdest season in baseball history and nothing came before that. How about we go back to 2015 when they got price. Had a rotation of Stroman, estrada, dickey as the main 3 before that trade. If it wasn’t for a bit of bad player decisions and a kid interfering jays could have won it all
We’re talking 2021. But thanks for the reset of 2015.
Except you were talking 2020 not 21 but okay bud
wereAll -You obviously did not see how well Walker pitched for the Jays after the deadline. Gotta love a guy who makes a snarky comment and turns out to not have a clue what he is talking about.
Sorry Marco how many playoff starts did Walker get? They gave the ball to Shoemaker. Thanks.
Fair point, but I think many would agree the Jays kinda bungled the handling of the playoff rotation.
They managed to misuse their top 3 starting options in a 2 game series.
Maybe Ryu does just as poorly if he starts game 1, but based on 2020 performance, Walker deserved game 2 rather than to have Shoemaker push everyone back a game to be used for only 3 innings based on his splits vs TB.
What was the point?
Maybe Walker benefits from the brutal D behind him and we’re talking about how poorly he did in the playoffs in that scenario?
Without Walker, the Jays would not have even made the expanded playoffs.
They probably wouldn’t hit enough against Snell or Glasnow in any scenario for it to have mattered for 2020 playoff results, but they seem to have ensured Walker and Shoemaker were insulted enough to not consider returning after the lack of playoff usage. Shoemaker should feel lucky/glad that he got a few innings, especially a game 1 start, but the 3 inning thing probably factors more heavily.
Key playoff innings, Robbie Ray was used, so a good pitcher was added however you wanna slice it.
Thank you filthy. You made a case for signing Trevor Bauer. Otherwise they are a 7th place team?
And unfortunately they took it from him in the middle of one of the best starts of his life. Watch the replay, he can barely believe it. Also, a look at Walker’s peripherals show him to be lucky, but not as good as his ERA would indicate.
Same case can be made for majority of teams. Thanks for twisting the point to fit your repetitive narrative.
As it stands, the AL is full of 7th place teams.
White Sox only team trying to stand out so far.
Royals and Rangers trying to get into that 7th place range.
Cle, Min, Hou, Oak haven’t done anything either.
The Rays have weakened themselves but still look like the division favourite unless the Yankees, Jays or Red Sox can add some impact arms. If the Orioles added impact arms, they’d be scary. Jays need to add depth while the rest of the division has their foot off the gas.
Bauer needs to sign NL Central so he can pad his stats against the Pirates some more.
I’d be happy with a Tanaka, or Kluber, or Richards, or Paxton, and one elite LH plus one elite RH reliever rather than Bauer.
Give some innings to the young arms in the first 2 months, and then look for that David Price type arm for the stretch if they start out scuffling. Develop something internally beats any free agent option.
With no additions, they’ll be battling for the 5th spot, very likely to land in 7th.
Expecting a shakeup of some sort in the next two months, so I’ll wait until March before I judge the progress of the front office. So far, it’s all talk and a need to do something impressive before I can be excited and confident about the 2021 squad.
Walker was consistently lucky with the Jays.
Not so lucky with the matchups- 2 of 6 Jays starts were against NYY. 2 against BAL evened it out, but BOS/PHI in the other 2 matchups were pretty strong offenses.
He can get weaker offenses to get themselves out, but a strong lineup like NYY will just wait him out.
Unfortunately that is the case with many arms.
Waiting for the focus on improving the team control. So far, they’ve gone backwards in that area.
As a Jays fan I am not to worried about this report. Jays are “front-runners” for every FA but its all a smokescreen. No way they pay him what he reportedly wants and nor should they.
I wish my name was Angus Mugford.
It could be, if you really wanted it to be…
I tried Rsox, didn’t get through the first round of interviews. I didn’t have the cockney accent and couldn’t tell the difference between a boot and bonnet. So I just took the apples and pears out of that place.
Wasn’t he a Harry Potter character?
I replied to you on the Kim thread.
I thought he was the lead guitarist for AC/DC
He left to form Mugford and Sons
Sounds like a Sherlock Holmes character, not a high performance coach.
Sounds like a strength coach name,not a numbers guy name.
Shapiro/Atkins: Trevor we would love to have you be apart of the Blue Jays organization
Bauer: I want 36-40 mill a year and a 5-6 year deal.
*click*
Bauer: hello?
Followed by the headline “Blue Jays to sign Wade LeBlanc”
Bah ahaha ha laugh out loud moment of the day. Wade Leblanc, lol.
At $7-mil.
Upside play.
It would be hilarious if he talked with all of these teams that the media has noted and then signs with the Pirates or something
If he signed with the Pirates their fans would have a sudden increase in cardiac arrests cause their owner actually spent money.
Their owner would have a sudden increase in cardiac arrests because he actually spent that kind of money
There ain’t enough overhead storage for all the baggage this dude will fly into town, prefer the Jays take a pass
Not even close to the baggage Stroman brought to the table. He pitches anywhere near what he did in 2020 you take that baggage and then some.
Good call on Stroman. These drama guys though, almost never worth it. Teams win, ego maniacs blow them up, kinda like when Stroman & Sanchez had their falling out and all of a sudden Aaron was useless
Yes. I’m good with Bauer. He is unconventional but I like him. Unlike Stroman, Bauer isn’t self-serving with his antics.
We know Bauer is meeting with the Jays and the Padres, beyond that who knows. The additions of Snell and Darvish by the Padres probably makes them a more attractive option as Bauer wouldn’t have to be the ace of the staff but still get paid like one
Wow, DET would’ve been all over this in 14-16.. I can only hope they’ve learned from recent past, and spread the wealth throughout the diamond. Good luck to whoever gets him though. I will with good grace take 3 #2 SP’s, over the price of 1 “ace” any day.
Bauer goes to Toronto, Springer to the Mets, J.T manages his way back to Philly.
I could see all three happening for sure
Realmuto wants to be in Philly so that would not be a surprise. And you’re probably going to be wrong on 2 of these 3. Mark it down!
Time is right for the Jays, man.
They’ve money to spend in a very deep free agent class.
I hope they land both Springer & Bauer. Might inspire Hal to spend a bit. & they’d be fun to watch.
Full speed ahead, Mr Shapiro.
I still like JBJ for 2 years (at a reasonable cost) and than a package deal with Cincy for Castillo & Suarez. 5,6 years for Springer at an AAV of $30 million has regret written all-over it.
JBJ is very overrated, at least at the salary he was making, Defense declines as players age (see Pillar). Actually Pillar is a great comp. Also unless you can get rid of Grichuk for free somehow Jays are also stuck wasting his stupid salary. Not that I want them to sign Springer but unless you are getting a big upgrade or cheap upgrade they can just run Grichuk and Davis and put the money towards actual holes that are currently vacant like 3B and SP.
JBJ will be cheap…ish, easy to get on a short deal as opposed to Springer. The 3rd base and SP needs get filled with Castillo and Suarez. Randy goes back to RF, Lourdes in left and Two DH’s
*Teo DH’s
The package for Castillo and Suarez starts with your 5 best prospects and then they get to pick and choose whatever else-
Those arent cost reduction trades
Your willing to take a piece of Moose or Cast then you’ll get your cost reduction
Something smaller from both sides might be able to work tho – Theres something for everyone residing in Cincy right now if your willing to go the distance with them, (and you def should be)
Their phone bill should be very heavy next billing cycle and you should hope as a fan your an incoming number on it
You do realize Teo is actually a decent fielder and the fastest player on the team? I know he looks terrible from time to time but he does cover a ton of ground.
“Teo is actually a decent fielder”.
Never in his lifetime has he been a decent fielder. Nobody cares if he is fast. Bad route runner, can’t hit cutoff men. Watch games before coming up with BS.
Have you watched a game? Jays are trying to move Vlad back to 3rd rather than have Teo on the field. He’s a DH speed doesn’t have much impact when he doesn’t take good routes, has a terrible glove and arm
Crunch
What are you smoking? Jays Top 5 prospects? Thats 4 Top 100 and another that will be by the end of Spring training. Castillo is great but please enlighten us as to the last trade where a team sent out 5 x Top 100 overall prospects. FYI Pearson is still considered a prospect because he didn’t meet the innings limits. Pearson/Martin/Groshans/SWR and Manoah or Kirk ? You lost the plot my friend.
Sarcasm my friend, the bigger point is your not getting both of those players to “just save Cincy money” (Paragraph 2 )
There has to be some base set for a logical argument to move forward- I was setting your base – How bout the haul youd have to give for both those players would put you back into a bottom 8 farm system no doubt- See paragraph 3 in my suggestion to amp the trade down a touch
Im all for creating theoretical trades in here but they have to have some bones to begin with
I don’t believe the Jays have the prospects to land Castillo alone.
In sorry what
Groshans, SWR, Manoha, Kirk or Moreno…plenty. Your also thinking of a standard trade, Reds are trying to move out salary,so simple cost reduction may supercede return
If dumping salary is their goal the don’t trade a guy that made 4 million. They trade Sonny Gray. The Reds GM said they have already moved the salary that they needed to sign a shortstop.
Jays are top 5ish farm. They have plenty of talent to use in a trade. I don’t think they’ve traded a quality prospect since mid 2016 though.
@casey21 Cause GM’s are always telling the truth? Of course they want assets of value but talk is talk, seems pretty clear it’s more or less a fire sale in Cincinnati
Saw how Gray worked out in the AL east before no thank you
You don’t want Gray but you think the Jays have 3 legit playoff starting pitchers currently? Flawed logic much? Gray would be a godsend compared to Stripling, Roark and Ray.
Again he can’t handle the AL east. And ya he would be better then those two but every major jays pitching prospect is probably better then those 2. Also who’s to say they don’t go out if they signed Bauer and get another starter or 2. Jays have 88 million in payroll right now you think they can’t sign anyone else currently still a free agent? Even without Bauer, Strips and Roark are probably starting in the pen. Jays signed Ray so if they signed Bauer he’s the 4th starter with guys like Kay, SRF (who looked really good in the pen this year), SWR and Manoha. I’d take Castillo in a heart beat but think there’s better options for this team then Sonny Gray
Casey 21
You obviously have not looked at the Jays prospect list have you.
4x Top 100 overall and 4 More knocking on the door of the top 100
Marko – I was not clear. I live in Dunedin. I am aware of the talent, I just don’t see the match. The Reds have a lot of high end pitching prospects. They have a catcher and a shortstop. All the Jays top ten prospects are pitchers, catchers, and shortstops.
I do agree that this is the right time for the Jays. Ryu is not your typical ace, but he is a God-worthy number 2 for any team. A Bauer, Ryu, Pearson, 1,2,3 would be a super front line, and especially in the A.L East.
Pearson is a risky play as the #3, talent is there but he’s barely pitched any innings for the last several seasons. I’d rather they trade for an established starter, maybe sign Ordozzi or Tanaka for the 3rd slot and hope Pearson surprises as a 4/5
The biggest question is whether they’ll allow Pearson to throw a full season. With absolutely everybody coming off no more than a third of a season, I hope the innings limit nonsense will be on pause league wide.
The only rush with Pearson as your #3 is him staying healthy and throwing 150 innings. There is no doubt the talent is there.
Pearson needs another year. If the Jays are going to win they need another very good starter which they do not have now.
Bauer might be the hardest ‘star’ to valuate in recent memory. If you count 2020 as a year, he’s had two exceptional years with multiple mediocre years laced in between. The good news is that his best years were more recent (2018 & 2020) so perhaps he has figured something out, but he seems just as likely to regress to a 4.00 ERA pitcher as he does to continuing his success from 2020. He’ll get a long term deal if he agrees to a lower AAV (like 5/125), but it feels like he’s looking for ace money. He might end up having to settle for a short term deal (2/70 or 2/75) and try again at age 32 for a longer term deal. I just don’t see any team willing to pay him $35M+ per year for a 5-6 year term. He’s too volatile to invest that much into him.
My Mets should sign him if he would take 5/125 but they probably already know that he can get more from somebody else!!
As a met fan I wonder if we should offer 3/100 and roll the dice
It doesn’t “feel like” anything. How you happen to make yourself feel has nothing to do with free agency or what is actually happening.
Feel, opinion, thought, all words a commenter can be expected to write in a comment section. Example: I feel like you forgot that your readings someone opinion. I thought you knew that this was a comment section on a rumors site.
Corbin may be a good comp for him… a similar inconsistent career before FA w signs of greatness and a big walk year.. he ended up w 6/140… I think if Bauer gets 5/125 offer he should take it and run but he prob wouldn’t agree w me
If you are asking for that much money, you shouldn’t need a high performance coach. For that much cash, you should be providing high performance without coaching.
Pretty sure a high performance coach would be someone who helps the athlete perform at the highest level over a long period of time (ie. keep their body healthy).
Wow you don’t think elite players need personal coaches!? Please. You obviously have little knowledge of what it take to be elite in major league baseball. Coaches, training and constant practice and refining skills are paramount to performing at a high level. I’ll never be a fan of Bauer’s stupid head but him having a an HP coach is so common, he’d be doing himself a disservice by not having one!
My sources tell me Bauer is taking all these zoom calls from the Kinkos near the Wawa in Cherry Hill.
So he did hire Stelio Kontos to be his agent. The rumors were true.
Great now that’s stuck in my head
I think every year all of these free agents are understating what they should be stating their demands are considering what they usually ask.
Rather than they and their agents state some number to teams, they should just come out with, “I want infinite dollars for a lifetime contract or the best offer.” That covers their demands.
Bauer has a discussion with the Blue Jays’ “high performance” coach to review the defensive metrics he’d have behind him. Bauer is not a fool.. poor defense makes HIM look bad. The Jays or the Padres or whoever absolutely must have a top notch defense for Bauer to commit to that club.. More than one change would be needed if the Blue Jays were to sign Bauer.. These precursor moves will signal the pending signing.. imho..
Thoughts?..
A high performance coach specializes in each individual players specific needs,training regiment,diet, stuff like that
Valid thought for Toronto but not necessarily SD. Toronto was 2nd to last in team defense last season in DRS but Cinci was only 15th and that didn’t seem to impact Bauer much at all. SD by comparison was 14th.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a FA in recent times do so much pageantry with all his Twitter stuff.
Totally. He’s an all about me dbag for sure
Shapiro here….Let me explain our plan in steps:
1) Create buzz, specifically on position players and let agents use this to get max offers from other preferred destination (I am talking about the one’s that would never sign with the Jays)
2) Have these agents believe we actually intended to pay crazy money when all along our money will be instead be allocated to their high end pitching clients and secondary position players who excel in runs saved
3) Wait for Springer and Lemahieu to be signed and then execute the real plan
“The plan”….
A) Sign Bauer for 5 years $135M ($27M AAV) which will be a bit less than people project given the big spenders (NY’s) have committed to Springer and Lemahieu
B) Sign Simmons, Bradley, Hand, and one of Treinen or Colome (total $40M-$45M AAV)
C) Trade futures for top end starter #Reds (Ghoshans+)
With defense and pitching now shored up, our young guns will take a huge step forward propelling Jays to WS contender status given the D and pitching now supporting us
One flaw in your logic is one of those NY teams still would have another 20-30 m to spend even if they sign their FA at their high end ask. That 20-30 would be just to match last years payroll and would still have another roughly 10 until tax. Also the owner has gone on record saying he is willing to spend and they at best would be first time offenders to the tax.
I hope springer to sign with the mets and a 2nd tier pitcher (Tanaka, Ordrizzi etc) which is prob around 15 mil and atleast 1 – 2 top relievers (Bradley, Hand, Treinen, Colome) around 15 -20M for both
Except so would Toronto. As noted by Nick Ashbourne “The Blue Jays’ payroll obligations sit below $40 million in both 2022 and 2023, and there’s quite literally nothing on the books in 2024.” .
Fangraphs estimates the NYM team payroll to be approx. $151K currently (same as their estimated luxury tax threshold). So actually, if the Mets spend $25M AAV on Springer they would still have about another $45M before they reach the $210M luxury tax threshold so yeah they could likely afford Springer, Ordorizzi and 2 high end Relief pitchers and still be $10M+ below the threshold.
But what you are forgetting is that the jays have plenty of money too, even if they don’t try and match the heights the Mets may be willing to go to. Fangraphs estimates the Jays 2021 salaries currently sit at around $85M, yet they spent over $160M as recently as 2018 – that’s just 2 year ago and they have saved tons of money since then to spend now.
Management has gone on record saying that ownership is all in and keep in mind that Rogers Communications is a multi billion $ Corp. So even if they sign Bauer they would still have over $45M left to simply to reach their starting payroll from two years ago. I am confident that the Jays are able to win a salary fight even with the Mets in order to get the players they want most.. It only depends on how much they are willing to push the envelope but given their massive future payroll flexibility and their deep pockets, it is actually in their hands, not anyone else’s.
fangraphs.com/roster-resource/payroll/blue-jays
fangraphs.com/roster-resource/payroll/mets
Shapiro, you can’t even spell the names of your players correctly. This blog commenting thing is not working out for you, time to hang it up!
They’ll talk to Trevor; trade for Jake.
I can’t wait for him to sign so that Jays’ fans can throw their toys out of the pram in an internet tantrum because he didn’t sign in Toronto. Seriously, they threw a tantrum over a KBO guy recently. Hilarious.
Sugano could be the main Toronto target in this whole Bauer smoke screen. Sugano is the real deal and will slot in very nicely behind Ryu if they are willing to pay him the most money of course. Boston is also heavily interested in Sugano and I’m sure there are multiple other teams interested as well. He proved in the WBC that he can get MLB hitters out and he’s coming off of the best season of his career in Japan. I see him being as good if not better than Nomo was in MLB. So Toronto may be driving the price up on Bauer while quietly working on a Sugano deal which would improve their pitching staff immensely.
Is that what you “feel like”? Tell us about your feelings.
They were saying the same thing about Kikuchi before he came over…he’s been kind of a big flop over here. I would not say sugano is a sure thing by any stretch.
Agree but Sugano’s numbers in Japan are better than Kikuchi’s were, he’s closer to Tanaka’s numbers there
I remember a couple years back a couple GMs from other teams were very frustrated with this Jays front office team because they were getting involved in trade discussions about their own players and other teams players just to gauge the market with no intention of making any deals. If I remember correctly, the Rockies GM was one of them that was pissed.
I’m just thinking this is another ploy from this team just to know the market and they won’t actually sign anyone….Do we know if they’ve made offers yet…or just window shopping??
You’re onto something there. When you look back over Shapiro’s FO career, who is the biggest FA signing he’s ever made? Correct me if I’m wrong, but it was the Russell Martin 5 yr/$82M contract in 2014. #2 would probably be Ryu. He’s been a GM/Pres of Baseball ops for 20 years. He’d like us to think he’s morphing into AJ Preller, but he is what he is, and I’d be shocked if TOR ends up signing any of the top 10 FAs on the market.
Shapiro joined the Jays in 2015. He had nothing to do with Martin’s deal.
Truly, I don’t want the Jays to sign Bauer at all. He wants an insane amount of money and he’s been very inconsistent in his career. I’d give him 5/100 but no more (which wouldn’t come close to what he will sign for). Remember when the jays signed Russell Martin? They were in the playoffs in large part because of him. I want JTR over Bauer and springer. I have a personal philosophy that the most important position is catcher and I think it will push them forward more than any other F/A. Also, you could probably sign JTR and one of Tanaka/Odorizzi for what it would cost for Bauer. You’d probably pay a bit more, but not a ton more imo.
They made the playoffs thanks to David Price, MVP performances from Josh and Edwin, and they dealt Reyes for Tulo. Jays pitchers threw better with Navarro behind the plate that year, not Martin.
Price pitched like a Cy Young winner and was runner-up. The Jays need pitching. Bauer must be signed for them to have any chance in 2021.
Those were contributing factors for sure, but they did not pitch to Navarro better at all. Also, Martins defence was a big upgrade from guys like Arencibia in previous years. You’re also forgetting price was only there for half a season of their run. Donaldson was amazing yes. And you’re referring to Tulo over Reyes. Funny because Tulo’s defence is the only thing he had over Reyes. My point about Martin stands lol.
First, they did pitch better to Navarro. Check the splits. If it wasn’t for David Price, Navarro would have been a full run better than Martin and then some.
Second, where was the defense when he lazily threw the ball from his knees off Choo’s bat? Where was his leadership allowing Osuna to shake him off countless times before the series-winning run was driven in against KC in the ALCS?
Third, Jays were 50-51 before the Tulo deal. They were not making the playoffs thanks to Martin. Very easy to call Martin an upgrade over Arencibia, but that’s two years earlier. But Price was there for a half a year – the part where the Jays won over 40 games and lost 12. Before him they are not a playoff team.
Your point about Martin is invalid. Your point on Tulo is wrong, as Reyes was a team cancer. Addition by subtraction. But please tell us why Martin was “so good” with a .500 team up until the trades.
That was a fluke off choo’s bat. I now know you’re trolling. Thanks
It was being lazy that caused the throw to hit Choi’s bat. Learn baseball. Stand up and throw the ball with runners on base. Basic little league teachings. This is not a troll job.
Whoever signs him is goi g to regret it. Such a douc*e and he’s not that talented.
Yes to d-bag, Yes to talented. A talented d-bag.
Also love the mlbtr sensor-ship. Welcome to 2021
Don’t know if the risk is worth the reward here. I’d rather they sign a cheaper option like Walker or Paxton and then look to upgrade the top of the rotation with one of Cincinnati’s top pitchers through a trade.
Walker averaged under 5 innings a start. No thanks
Well said Marius.
Sounds like a strength coach name,not a numbers guy name.
Bauer goes to Anahiem to play with Trout, so he can say he was the missing SP piece they’ve been deprived of if they go to the WS. Jays will be the runner up. Think Bauer is toying with Mets fans. As for Springer, I could see the Mets going full court press, with the intentions of making McNeil the full time 2B and JD full time at 3B. Would still consider the Jays the favorite for Springer however, from what I’ve read and my personal opinion.
Any GM that pays him upwards of 30M a year and expects him to replicate last season deserves to be fired.
What happens if he actually DOES replicate 2020? Promote that GM to president and you get fired.
I actually like the fit, quite a bit. If the jays are going to spend big, it needs to be on pitching. As is stands that rotation is nothing special…adding Bauer would give it some punch for sure. On the bright side, it ships Bauer up to canada where he can rot on Tim Horton’s in frigid temperatures – a fate he richly deserves!
Nothing wrong with a little Timmys in the morning.
Lol cept for the fat it makes you.
So he’s signing with the Cleveland Baseball Team?
Great fit. Would bring a lot of media attention and publicity to the Blue Jays. And what the Blue Jays make lack in production, Bauer makes up for in his off the field work. I’d personally pay 5 years, $180MM with a vesting option on his 6th year.
Meh..too much..Jays don’t need him.
“Meh” is not a word. You need to work harder to expand your vocabulary to use real words, not sounds.
^^ this guy ^^ no one likes ^^ this guy ^^
Could you imagine him as. blue Jay?
Why not. He’s mouthy but I’m sure they’d still take him if he throws well.. I don’t think he’s a proven elite pitcher yet though- too inconsistent.
I can’t see the fans ever embracing him. They are way too nice up there and they can spot a bully jackhole from a mile away!
Honestly, why wouldn’t the Padres be in on him? The kind of “going for it” they are in now, could be franchise changing for generations
Generations?
Yes, generations. When the big bad Yankees started spending on the big names way back in the day, they got really good. That dynamic hasn’t changed for generations. Yankees almost every year are contenders.
Pads added quite a bit of salary with the Darvish/Snell trades. And with a group consisting of Machado, Hosmer, and Myers, who already had sizable contracts, the finances probably aren’t there. Directly related that — SD must also prepare as their younger pieces will become more expensive via arbitration in the coming years.
Maybe the Friars could stretch if Bauer is still willing to take a one-year deal, but adding another large multi-year contract would likely be difficult.
No I get it. It’s more, you’re already opening up the pocket book, why not go a bit more. You’re so close. Truly they need some bullpen, but this build could have a last effect for a long time
Pass. This guy is just an attention seeking troll.
No he isn’t.
For the Jays, I think I’d rather see either DJLM or Springer as the big signing, but I don’t think any of them are likely. I’d probably be satisfied with a bullpen arm to replace Giles (Hand?), 1-2 starters in the Tanaka/Walker/Paxton tier, and 2 of the JBJ,Wong, Kike Hernandez tier for position players. Our defense needs serious improvement, maybe the Jays’ biggest weakness. Definitely the thing that makes me change the channel the quickest, second only to a grand slam.
Kiki would be an amazing low key sign for Tor
Even Sans the star that would be a pretty good offseason you have outlined
Wanker will be one of the worst FA buys in MLB history.
Bauer is a pretty good pitcher in all but I don’t really get how much hype he is getting lately. He was great last year in his contract year but I don’t see how he is worth the 35/40 million a year he is asking for. Teams that are interested in him have got to ask themselves several questions. Did Trevor Bauer figure something out in the previous off-season to finally live up to his potential? Could he replicate that same level of production in a full 162 game season? How much influence on his numbers were due to the fact that he was facing some underperforming offensive clubs? Which Trevor Bauer will you be getting, the stud TOR workhorse that we saw in 2018 and 2020? Or will we see the 4.00ERA middle of the rotation starter we have seen much of his career. No doubt that he will get paid this winter but there is a lot of question marks as well. He is asking for Jacob deGrom money when in reality he is no Scherzer, deGrom, or Verlander.
I am reposting to correct the numbers in my post above. In the Springer signing scenario described below the Mets actually would have $35M left to reach the luxury tax threshold (not $45m). This means the Jays are in an even better position then I anticipated when going head to head against the Mets for free agents. Here’s why….
As noted by Nick Ashbourne “The Blue Jays’ payroll obligations sit below $40 million in both 2022 and 2023, and there’s quite literally nothing on the books in 2024.” .
Fangraphs estimates the NYM team payroll to be approx. $151K currently (same as their estimated luxury tax threshold). So actually, if the Mets spend $25M AAV on Springer they would still have about another $35M before they reach the $210M luxury tax threshold so yeah they could likely afford Springer, Ordorizzi and 2 high end Relief pitchers and still scrap in just under the luxury tax threshold.
But what you are forgetting is that the jays have plenty of money too, even if they don’t try and match the heights the Mets may be willing to go to. Fangraphs estimates the Jays 2021 salaries currently sit at around $85M, yet they spent over $160M as recently as 2018 – that’s just 2 year ago and they have saved tons of money since then to spend now.
Management has gone on record saying that ownership is all in and keep in mind that Rogers Communications is a multi billion $ Corp. So even if they sign Bauer they would still have over $45M left to simply to reach their starting payroll from two years ago. I am confident that the Jays are able to win a salary fight even with the Mets in order to get the players they want most.. It only depends on how much they are willing to push the envelope but given their massive future payroll flexibility and their deep pockets, it is actually in their hands, not anyone else’s.
fangraphs.com/roster-resource/payroll/blue-jays
fangraphs.com/roster-resource/payroll/mets
Are the Jays planning to non-tender Bo, Vlad, Biggio, Pearson and others who’ll be in arbitration come 2024? Literally, nothing on the books seems far from the truth.
I think it’s pretty clear he is referring to players with pre-determined salaries. Regardless this does not change anything since all arbitration eligible players and their estimated contracts (approx. $21M worth) are included in the $85M team salary estimate for this year.
We’re talking 2024. All the players mentioned, IF they play at an All-Star level they will be paid in arbitration and paid well. Especially well come 2025. Let’s not call 2024 “practically nothing”. That’s crap and not true. Projections already has the Jays payroll over $113-mil in 2023 with this current roster. Only Teoscar is off the books before 2024. Way more than nothing. Way more.
Sure, and by then Bauer’s contract may be over. A coffee may cost 20% more than it does now. So what? I will say again, you missed my point. They have “nothing on the books” means that the salary is unknown at this time. It just highlights how much flexibility they have right now to construct their roster and compete with other teams for FA’s should they decide to. That was my main point not Ashbourne’s quote.
Your point is still incorrect. If it was correct the Jays and others would be tossing money left and right. It was a poor point you basically admitted by saying “Bauer’s contract may be over”. The whole point of your re-post is that the Jays could afford Bauer in 2024. And Springer.
Did you bother to see who the Mets have in arbitration come 2023-24? Probably not. I didn’t miss your point, I just showed politely that yours missed the mark.
@melondough
There is something you are missing in the history of this ownership can you name the biggest FA contract they have signed? Russell Martin at 82M. So they are not only going to break that history but break it twice after a season where they most likely lost money with an ownership that “rebuilds” when the payroll gets too high in a season that potentially is another season where they could lose money?
The mets i can see them signing both if they choose that route as the owner did not lose much money since he was a minority owner last year if any, but is also the richest owner and is a known super fan of the team ala Steinbrenner. Will he be a huge spender? Maybe, maybe not but more is leaning the way of the mets and personally i hope they only sign Springer and keeps going the mid tier market so they have some flexibility and depth. Tanaka and Hand / Hendricks are the hopefully the rest of the signings along with springer.
Not sure u can compare ownership today to that of 2014 when Martin was signed. But more importantly I don’t agree with your comment about the owner losing money this past season. If anything this horrid pandemic has provided more opportunities for profit growth. I realize Rogers end client is the stock holder but given their near monopoly on the cable and data used to stream it works well to help their bottom line. I guarantee you they see strong interest correlating for huge profits. They have said that they understand that this sports franchise draws huge interest when they r competing making it a massive revenue producer in this market. After all it’s not just Toronto that will use more data and increase subscriptions, etc., its all of Canada that they market this team to.
Jays could afford to sign both Springer and Bauer but I never said they would. All I said is they could easily compete against the Mets dollar for dollar for any free agent(s) and this year I won’t be surprised if they do. It will be up to the player(s) where they want to go. In an ideal world, the Jays sign Lemahieu, Realmuto, Sugano, and Hendricks. They can then put a package together that includes Danny Janssen and prospects for to acquire Gray from Cincy.
And to back up the comment above about not losing money in 2020. This from their 3rd quarter report published in October (made surely even better since):
Wireless total net loading of 168,000, including a 34% increase in postpaid net subscriber additions to 138,000, reflecting strong execution
Strong consumer adoption of Rogers Infinite™ unlimited data plans now at approximately 2.2 million total subscribers, up almost 60% year to date in 2020
Monthly postpaid churn of 1.10%, improved 10 basis points
Expanded Canada’s largest 5G network to 130 cities and towns across the country
Grew adjusted EBITDA by 2% with consistent service revenue. Cable results include 16,000 net new Internet subscribers and 38,000 net new Ignite TV™ subscribers
Media revenue up 1% reflecting the return of live professional sports broadcasting
Free cash flow of $868 million, up 13%; strong balance sheet with liquidity position of $5.5 billion
Paid $253 million in dividends and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share
Blue Jays can’t be this desperate for a Chris Archer type of pitcher who is wanting 40 million per year! There are better options out there than Bauer to solidify the rotation. Bauer is literally a bullpen arm in the future
So true. Bauer will come in the 2nd inning and leave in the 9th.
With a 5.39 era
Which is false like your first comment.
His ERA is nothing of Gerrit Cole and Bauer will never be in such a high stats as Cole or even Verlander. Bauer is not even a top rotation arm on a competitive team. Blue Jays should avoid that commitment with Bauer. Balls will be sailing over fences in Toronto for 40 million a year.
He is the reigning Cy Young winner. You commit to the best arms in baseball. You are entitled to your opinion but making up fake stats doesn’t help your cause.
Pitching in the AL East is the toughest place for any pitcher. I’d expect Bauer to give up bombs in that division. And yet he’s still the player to acquire if you are the Jays. They need pitching. But make a better comparison than Archer. That’s just your anger talking.
Shannon, Cole had an ERA last season of 2.84 over 73 innings pitched with a WHIP of .959 for a total of 2.2 WAR, meanwhile Bauer had an ERA of 1.73 over 73 innings with a Whip of .795 for a WAR of 2.7. Not really sure where you are getting your information?
You guys fall to see that Bauer is nothing more than a third tier SP. he’s not a ace or someone who will be better than a trade option. Bauer is no better than Archer
You “fall” to see you can’t prove anything you have said. Your opinion is driven by your dislike/hatred for Bauer.
Hope he signs with the Jays. I don’t want him in NY.
Definitely the Mets. Sign Springer & Bauer; trade Nimmo, Rosario, Gsellman, Matz. Do NOT trade 3B Baty, RHP Allan, SS Mauricio, C Alvarez.
So get rid of all the garbage and expect the moon probably then?? What, they will get trout now or something for that group? Lol. Sign springer for less than 150 of course, get an arm or two for bullpen, get the Japanese pitcher or Paxton and call it a day. Can trade in off season if needed. Or can trade Conforto or nimmo for a prospect or two. Then assess during the season and maybe make a splash in July.
As a Mets fan I can tell you flatly that Matz and Gsellman have limited trade value and Rosario wouldn’t bring in a whole lot. Nimmo might bring an okay return but not as much as some people think.
Hell no, this guy is all about himself and not really all that good.
I think Bauer could be like a weird mystical figure who will pitch well on one year deals but would be a disaster on anything long term.
Give him 1 year/$40M. See what happens. He lives up to it? Great. Give him another 1 year/$40M contract. He pitches to a 5.5 ERA? Give him 1 year/$10M. He pitches to a 1.90 ERA? Give him a 1 year/$40M contract again. He retires? Great. You basically gave him 4 years/$130M but you knew he earned what he got paid each one of those years.
I get why baseball doesn’t do this with every player, why the player’s union and the players themselves prefer multi-year guaranteed deals, but with Bauer, maybe this would be best for all involved parties.
Obviously, the Blue Jays heard about the Yankees signing Socrates Brito and decided they’d better counter the move.
It is pretty dang obvious now isn’t it?! The iron is hot, time to strike!
If Toronto adds both Bauer and Springer, there’s a good chance they’re going to own the AL East for a while.
Are Jays fans supposed to get excited over this?
“Do or do not. There is no try.” – Master Yoda
If Jays fans can come here to justify every poor signing or decision, then absolutely get excited for Bauer if he were to sign. The idea of throwing money at him can be rationalized.
The more I get to know this guy and the closer I look at his stats the more I hope my team doesn’t sign him.
No way the Jays and Bauer connect on a contract. Toronto is one of the wisest payroll teams in MLB…they seldom over-spend on a player and Bauer is the player this off-season who will suck some team into a major over-spend. For the same reason I see the Mets ending up with Springer who is simply too old and not good enough to offer a rich 5-year deal to.
67 – where was the wisdom overpaying Robbie Ray? Where was it overpaying Roark and Shaw last year? Where was it overpaying and extending Grichuk? Where was it paying for 3 DH’s in Morales, Pearce and Bautista? You claim the Jays are wise in spending and as a Jays fan I’m waiting for them to put that into practice.
Better description is that they rarely give huge, long-term deals. But wise in spending habits they are not. Overspending on short deals or players short on achievements is their game.
Give it a break Guest, I will give you Roark as an overpay at 12 Mil AAV, but Shaw at 4 Mil was not an over pay, nor is Ray at 8 Mil and Grich at 9.3 Mil(1 mil of his 10.3 is the signing bonus) is a stretch to say it was an over pay, get over the past as the additions of Pearce, Morales and Bautistau were a different time and place than where the jays were last offseason and this offseason
Shaw’s 2019 season worth $4-mil? Um, no.
Grichuk didn’t earn the extension, and that’s proven by the fact that he’s difficult to trade!
What has Ray done to deserve $8-mil? Please indulge. Because he’s probably doubled what he should have received.
At least Roark has kinda had some level of success. Somewhat.
Do not overlook history as it’s bound to repeat. Do not overlook the 2017 DH signings and brush it aside. That’s ignorance.
Well said
Exactly
Not a fan of the Jays or the Roark deal, but only $84m committed this year so they can afford to miss on a player or two. Not a Bauer fan but I hope the Jays compete and push the Yanks in the East as TB looks to take a step back next year and the Red Sox are still a ways off.
Although he has a Cy Young under his belt, is he worth the coin? He’s bounced around a couple of teams and his stats don’t scream 30+M per. I mean, comon’, RJ Dickey has a Cy Young, too. $25-30M per is my opinion, but I know he’s hunting for me. As a Mets fan, as tempting as he may be, I say pass. Not sure how he’d do in the club house and if he’d be a disrupter. Seems he rubs folks the wrong way anywhere he goes.
Pat Hentgen won a Cy Award, so did Rick Porcello. Like any award it rewards a career season, not an entire body of work. I’m sure no one is worrying about giving Porcello $30+ million per season. Bauer is not an ace, has never been an ace, and is only trying to get paid like an ace. Which makes the Padres a logical choice for him. Rather than having to front a rotation in the AL east where every single start would be under scrutiny he could go to San Diego and hide in the Padres rotation behind Darvish and Snell
If there is one thing that Bauer doesn’t do it is hide from the spotlight.
With their existing contracts and the Darvish acquisition, let’s be real: SD can’t afford him. He will end up in LA or Toronto.
He needs to be Anaheim bound, but the sad reality is even if Arte Moreno ponies up whatever cash is necessary to get Bauer, that’s still not enough to get them over their poor starting pitching. They need Trevor Bauer + 1 more pitcher, preferably a 2/3 type.
Until then, it will probably be another wasted year of Trout.
Uuuuuh did you bother even looking at the numbers? The Angels were around league average in almost every pitching category. If it were a regular season they would have been in contention for a playoff spot. Their pitching is not as bad as non-fans make it out to be. They have 4 solid rotation pieces in Bundy, Heaney, Barria, and Canning. They now have 2 good bullpen arms in Iglesias and Mayers. If they could somehow sign a few arms from the list of Brad Hand, Joakim Soria, Archie Bradley, Brandon Kintzler, Taijuan Walker, or Jake Odorizzi and then go trade for a guy like Joe Musgrove. That would position then well in making a run at the AL West.
If meeting league average pitching stats and a sub-500 team record is what you’re arguing about while having the best player to put on an Angels uniform on your roster, then ok. “Shoot for the moon, because if you miss then at least you’ll land with the stars.”
30 million per year, a 2021 forfeited 1st round pick, and constant negative attention for a pitcher with 1 season of elite production. Haha what a joke! Even Mike Minor has had a much better track record over the last 3-4 seasons and he only received a 2 year 18 million dollar contract after not producing in a short 60 gm season (albeit a 3 year age gap). If I’m one of the top clubs I’m staying as far away from this dude as possible. Even a team like the Angels are better off staying away from this potential albatross of a contract, they are 2 seasons away from ridding themselves completely of Upton and Pujols no need to handcuff themselves again.
Where are you getting the lose of a 1st round pick? Love guys on here who shoot off with no clue what they are talking about. Depending on the team and who else they may sign worse case is 2nd round but for most teams its a 3rd rounder.
LaFlama, You make some solid points but I think with the Angels you have to take into account that while they are shedding those deals in another year or two(not sure which on Pujols)that they’ve also signed some really good and one of the greatest ever and every year you don’t build a pitching staff around them is another wasted year. They’ve already taken too many steps forward not to keep pushing. Maybe they don’t sign Bauer but not going after a number of pitchers hard is a mistake. They can score a lot of runs but it’s been wasted because they give up so many. The time is now.
2/55 Cubs. $5mil bonus if he wins 13+ games and finishes 2nd or wins the cy young. Would he take take deal? I’ve heard he hates the cubs though. Not sure if that’s true or not.