Left-hander Sean Manaea has a lengthy track record of being a decent mid-rotation starter, but the past couple of years have been challenging. Overall, he has an earned run average of 4.10 in just over 1,000 career innings at the major league level. He has struck out roughly a quarter of batters faced in each of the past four full seasons and has never had a walk rate higher than 8.4%.
But in 2022, his performance dipped, as his ERA jumped to 4.96 with the Padres. His peripherals were still pretty strong, as he struck out 23.2% of batters faced and walked just 7.5%, but it was nonetheless a poor time for diminished results as he was heading into free agency for the first time.
The Giants took a shot on Manaea, giving him a two-year, $25MM deal that allowed him to opt out after the first season. The club was aggressive in deploying openers, only giving Manaea 10 actual starts, but he logged 117 2/3 innings on the year over 37 appearances. He finished with a 4.44 ERA, 25.7% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate. Though those results were more decent than spectacular, he still decided to trigger his opt-out and return to the open market.
Things get a little more interesting when digging deeper into his season, which may give more insight into his decision to try free agency again. Notably, Manaea added a sweeper this year and had great results with it. Per Statcast data, he first threw the pitch on May 30 and ultimately tossed it 214 times, 10.4% of his pitches thrown on the season overall. He felt comfortable throwing it to both righties and lefties, with a perfect split of 107 sweepers thrown to each. That resulted in a huge whiff percentage of 35.1% and a batting line of .140/.161/.163. Even when batters did make contact, the 82.8mph average exit velocity was easily the lowest of any of his offerings.
The impact on his overall results is quite clear. In his first 11 appearances of the year, prior to introducing the sweeper, he had a 6.61 ERA, 28.9% strikeout rate, 12.5% walk rate, 32.6% ground ball rate and eight home runs in just 32 2/3 innings. The rest of the way, he had a 3.60 ERA, 24.2% strikeout rate, 6.6% walk rate, 44% ground ball rate and six home runs in 85 innings. The Giants gave him four actual starts to finish the year and he posted a 2.25 ERA in those, averaging six innings per start.
This is still a fairly small sample size of results but the change in his arsenal at least gives some reason to believe that it may not just be a fluke. Last month, Driveline tweeted some video of a session with Manaea which showed him also trying out a splitter, perhaps suggesting Manaea is still trying to find yet another gear going forward.
MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents predicted Manaea for a contract of two years and $22MM, an average annual value of $11MM. That’s roughly the going rate for a back-end innings eater these days. MLBTR’s Contract Tracker shows that Lance Lynn got $11MM while Kyle Gibson got $13MM. Jack Flaherty got $14MM and Luis Severino $13MM despite a poor platform seasons, while Frankie Montas got $16MM even though he missed almost all of the year recovering from shoulder surgery. Tyler Mahle got $22MM over two years even though he’s going to miss at least part of the upcoming campaign while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
If Manaea can maintain the results he showed over the final four months of 2023, he could be a bargain, especially with pitchers like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery set for nine-figure deals. The need for starting pitching is still high and just about every club would benefit from the kind of performance Manaea seems capable of. His market has been very quiet this winter, with the Giants reportedly interested in a reunion but no other suitors publicly mentioned.
with the kind of money being handed out to some real dud SPs, Manaea should be a great bargain get for whoever signs him
I agree. I’d love to see the Angels sign him. I think under Ron Wash you’d see the 2023 second-half Manaea take the mound each and every time. There’s a lot to like here.
That would be four lefties in the rotation. I do think the Angels infield defense improves this year, but that is still a lot of lefties.
True. Esp if they’re serious about Snell (which I think may be a Boras plug). That’s the rub about this pitching staff. It’s hard to upgrade mediocre with…mediocre.
Sandoval and Detmers can be great pitchers at times, but they also can be straight up meh. Anderson was a horrible signing and IMO shouldn’t be starting. Suarez is best traded. I do not trust that guy. I think some team out there can be duped by framing him as a young LHP. I’m a fan of Silseth and Canning. I’m also a fan of seeing these guys in a more operable 5 man rotation.
All that said, there’s room at the top for Snell and maybe mix in Manaea if Anderson and Suarez aren’t in the starting 5 at the beginning of the season. Good depth maybe.
In a post-Ohtani world, I think Ron Wash could do something with this rotation:
Snell, Detmers, Sandoval, then 2 from this list: Silseth, Manaea, and Canning.
Can’t have enough depth (as we all know).
Manaea is so Angels. Sign him and weep.
The starting pitcher inflation will extend down to the second tier. He’ll go for more than MLBTR’s projection.
Sean Manaea is as risky a pitcher as there is. Despite this post saying he’s a mid-rotation guy, his stats scream #5 or even a #6.
While his second half results were markedly improved, he’s still an unreliable arm, and I can only hope the Giants stay away from a reunion.
the Giants are losing 500 innings to injury and free agency. It would be wise to pick up one of the top starters and a couple of innings eaters like Manaea amd Junis.
Yes, I’d like them to re-sign Junis, a very useful arm.
2/22 would be a solid investment for most teams, even as a swingman.
I was half expecting Po Boy to sign him but he got Montas instead.
I have seen you say that name a bunch, but who exactly is “Po Boy” and why do you call him that?
seen you say that name a bunch
========================
He signs onto random threads just to use the name “Po Boy”. I don’t know why, but he’s had to use it at least 100x already.
@JoeBrady: And he still hasn’t explained which one belongs to the Reds.
It may be way more, I have read it numerous times, I keep wanting to ask who he’s talking about and why, but then someone like you or some of the others make an interesting comment that gets my attention and I forget to ask!
That one, I suppose. lol. The one over there. No, the other one.
It all seems a bit nonsensical when you look at the overall package. If he’s calling the team owner “Po Boy” all the time he must be loaded!
I believe Po Boy is Nick Krall.
Why he constantly says that or came up with it is beyond me though.
I’ll take my chances on Montas for a year. The rose colored glasses crowd hail his second half last year, but my gut tells me he’s gonna be somebody’s boobie prize. If Manaea is all that the Giants would have already locked him up.
Giants tried he wasn’t interested, my thinking is he doesn’t like the whole coming in after the opener thing. Or he is looking for a team more likely to contend. He passed on 10’s of millions with out any guarantee he would surpass the amount in FA, so I’m guessing money is an important but still secondary factor for him.
Bringing back Manaea (by the Giants) would be a major mistake by Farhan.
Innings Gaints are losing
Free agents
Manaea 117
Wood 97
Junis 86
Alexander 48
Brebbia 36
Cobb 151 (mid season return)
If you don’t want Manaea whose replacing these innings?
Giants need to sign at least 3 pitchers. Harrison , Beck, and Winn should increase their totals. They were all rookies last year so not sure you can count on them fully.
I think Manaea is going to get a lot more than 2/$22M. $30M+ is the floor imo, not that I hope my team signs him.
Yes I agree, if Lance Lynn got 13 million dollars for one year from the Cardinals, Manaea will get more. Not that I want the Cubs to sign him, they should aim higher.
hardy har har
I’d give him 45 over three of Steve’s money today !
HUGE mistake!
His first half of 2023 with the Giants was brutal. There was a reason he got yanked from starting. However, he started to look better in the second half, and he was a pro about the demotion. I hope that a fresh start somewhere can unlock his better half. Watching him last season, though, I must say that I was pretty stoked when he opted out.
Did you read the article at all?
…and what would lead you to believe @Scottn59C didn’t read the article? Is it because he didn’t specifically mention the sweeper?
Maybe because Scottn59c basically re-stated the article, but not very accurately.
Describing things by halves (inaccurate) and the 2nd from last sentence makes it seem like commenter didn’t read article completely.
Of course I read it. I’m giving my take as a fan, which, yes, shares some common ground with the article.
@paddyo: Half the season he sucked, and half the season he somewhat righted the ship. Parse that however you like.
And if you saw how badly Manaea sucked, you’d be wary of signing him.
Refreshing take Scottn59c, Stats/analytics are weighted and valued heavily on this site. IMO, too heavily. Thanks for an eye witness assessment/account of how you saw Manaea’s 23 season unfold.
Red Sox should bring him in. We need pitching plus he can’t no hit us this way!!
they blew their wad on Giolito. no more big spending!!! (rolls eyes)
His profile is actually better than I expected. But his numbers at Fenway just awful. I can discount some numbers based on small sample sizes, but those numbers, and being a lefty, makes me distrust him.
$10+M for a gaggle of thoroughly eh pitchers tells you something, and it’s not good. Out of this group of seven names, how many will manage even 2 WAR?
Mets please grab him
Certainly better than Severino. But I don’t think he’ll go for a one year deal
Given the pitcher inflation this year, I think that the Mets would be lucky to get him at 2 years, 28 million. But he may be holding out for a 3 year deal.
This has Orioles written all over it. I’d be okay with it. Slot in as a #3 or #4, some hidden upside. Their pitching guys would get the most out of that new sweeper.
Was thinking the same. O’s need a lefty other than Means, too.
Orioles need a legit top of the rotation pitcher not Manaea.
Cards should have been all over Manaea.
Yeah I like him better than Gibson and Lynn for sure.
Id love to see the Orioles grab a guy like Blake Snell but unfortunately I don’t see it happening. Maybe they could trade from their bat surplus and acquire Luzardo?
Manaea and the Os. I would love to see it. I’m thinking it’s a “no” though.
Sean’s bound for a 2 year deal. O’s GM has yet to go beyond a year on any FA deal.
Plus going by last year’s FA spending (Gibson, Frazier and Givens), which totaled around $20 mil, Kimbral and Manaea would surpass that, by what, 4 to 6 mil? Doubt if GM Elias would even consider running that one by owner Angelo’s.
I doubt that the O’s are that cash strapped, Jeff.
Manaea could be a possibility. Definite upgrade to Cole Irvin
The Giants? Why would a guy like Manae want to play in that city for that terrible franchise? No one does.
Your comment reeks!
So does all that poop on the streets in San Fran!….bwahahaha
And the poop in the streets of NYC, LA, Chicago, Seattle, San Diego, Baltimore, Phoenix, DC, etc.
SF thinks it is fertilizer, not poop.
braveshomer — You sound like a teenager. One who doesn’t live in SF and may never have visited it.
PetesView-I have never been to SF nor do I plan too. But I noticed how you didn’t say it’s not true? Didn’t they create a website/app that locates Poop on sidewalks in SF, similar to pot hole maps?…sounds like a problem there sir.
Braves, there’s also a site called Poop! I’m in the South!
There’s a couple areas of filth but 95% of SF is actually perfectly clean. I drive through it all the time for Warriors and Giants games and the streets are spotless. Its a lie spewed by the rightwing media.
Fyi my comment was pure tongue in cheek satire based on all the clowns who talk down on SF. Thought it was pretty obvious. “Why would Manea want to play there” when he just did and has stated he loves the bay area.
Yeah I immediately thought maybe you didn’t know he just played for the Giants or something lol….couldn’t resist the Reek and Poop connection lol
Reek and Poop connection? That sounds like a good 30 for 30 episode, or maybe an old timey double play combo.
Hard Pass
Agreed. Manea would be affordable, solid risk for Balt, NY, Det, KC, LAA, in AL.
NL teams like Mets, Cubs, Cinci, SF, SD all seem need-matched.
I would not wait for long either.
He sounds like a good candidate for a 1 – year prove it to me deal or a multi year with an options to bolt after one year. LAA have so many holes, they could do worse.
Why then opt out as he did? He’s likely looking for a minimum of $15m per regardless of the length.
Lovely pitcher. If he puts it together like he did in August and September 12mil is a steal. He’s a 3 or more likely a 4 this year that can escape the year with a sub 4.00era and 12 wins. Go to Boston
Lovely?
Added a sweeping slider & still tinkering with pitch development and mix? Sounds like a siren song for the Twins if they actually decide to play in the free agent pitching market.
I’d love it if the Twins took a chance on him. We need a lefty and we need SP. Give him a two year deal with a buyout team option after year one….
I watched him twice early in the season and it was brutal. Ball had no velocity, poor location, no movement, and poor sequencing for what he was trying to throw. It looked like he was aiming for the bat.
Hope he’s actually got that turned around. Good that he’s trying to adapt.
Manaea tricks you into thinking he’s an above average pitcher when he’s really just average.
Don’t let his size or big sweeping locks of hair fool you. Yes, he’s left handed and throws 95+. But his command isn’t great and his overall numbers last year are deceiving; he threw better as a bulk innings guy, 3-5 IP/appearance.
Some team is going to give him a 3 year deal but they’ll end up disappointed if they use him as a traditional starter. As a bulk innings guy used after an opener he would have value at 3/$36M.
2/22 would be good for the White Sox. But 22 isn’t going to get it done and his numbers are still too good for him to start for the Sox
He would be a good fit for the Twins
I don’t see the Twins needing another #5ish starter.
I can’t disagree with that
Yeah Twins need someone who could MAYBE be an ace but won’t cost a ton. Trade for Manoah. Trevor Bauer. Stroman. Maybe Ryu. Someone like that.
Still astonished by the $16MM to Montas after a season and a half out of the loop and so many other proven arms still available.
So often pitchers add a pitch, even if it’s not a great one, and they get instant results because the scouting reports take time to catch up. Once the opposing hitters are made aware of the pitches, it’s literally like a light switch and opposing hitters just tee off on it.
Manea’s sweeper doesn’t move well and he has no control over it’s location.
I wonder who if anyone will sign Trevor Bauer. Can we not talk about him?
Hasn’t pitched in MLB for years.
Why would anyone think he’s any good anymore. Just not worth the gamble.
He pitched in Japan last year and pitched well. Why would you think he’s not worth the gamble? Giolito just got 39 million over 2 years and he sucked last year.
Joel,
At this point, MLB has blacklisted Trevor Bauer. That’s just my opinion, no facts to back it up, but it checks out with the lack of talks between him and teams, at least that I know of. I personally don’t think it’s fair, but there are some very vocal opinions about him all around baseball at this point.
Are there really no talks between Bauer and other teams or are sites like this intentionally not reporting on them?
This stuff is lawsuit worthy I think.
Keep sniffing. I think you are definitely on something!
Not trying to go all tin foil hat here but seriously if someone from MLB told this site not to report news on Bauer that would be grounds for a lawsuit Ala Colin Kapernick.
He’s not even listed as a free agent on this site. That’s weird.
I mean, legally he’s been cleared of any wrongdoing and he served his suspension so he’s done what’s needed. At this point, he may have to look for a legal solution if there’s something to an unofficial blacklist on him.
Yeah it doesn’t seem right. It shouldn’t be this easy to destroy someone’s reputation and career. Evidence should be needed. So far what evidence we have seen shows he was not guilty.
Joel, There’s no lawsuit there. If every team thinks he’s PR poison, and there’s evidence of that, then there’s no collusion. Every team can independently justify not being interested on that basis.
acoss13, He was not legally cleared. A decision was made not to pursue the matter, but that’s not the same as being cleared legally.
If every team is independently coming to the conclusion that Bauer is bad for business then no technically no collusion.
But I think there is more to it than that. I think someone has told and is telling teams to stay away. And if that’s the case there is a lawsuit.
A site like this which we all enjoy and respect. You think they independently decided not to report on anything Bauer with no outside influence at all? I doubt it.
If it’s not being pursued after an investigation that is legally cleared. If the prosecutor felt like there was a crime he would have pursued the matter. He didn’t and that in itself is being legally cleared.
That chick was a liar and a fraud. Bauer is no angel(well not yet at least) but she is the person at fault here not him.
No it isn’t. Just because a prosecutor decides not to pursue a matter doesn’t mean he’s leally cleared. The decision not to pursue means there’s some evidence of guilt, but not enough to get a jury to convict. As to being legally cleared, like being convicted, there needs to be evidence that showed he was not guilty of anything. There is no evidence of that.
The fact that the prosecutor decided not to pursue the case means he’s been cleared. Unless new evidence appears there is no way he will be charged or convicted of this crime. And prosecutors don’t always win if he thought there was even a chance he would win he would have went forward with the case. He didn’t because it was a bad case.
You are innocent until proven guilty. The prosecutor looked at this case and decided it wasn’t worth charging him for any crime. That is being cleared.
This girl was and is a liar. She sent texts to her friends saying she was going to set him up.
It shouldn’t be this easy to destroy someone’s reputation and career.
================================
The biggest issue from my perspective is that, if they don’t allow him back in, then every single player that is being shaken down will have to give in.
You meet a girl at the bar. You go home wit her. The next day, you get a call from her lawyer saying she was drunk, and she wants $1M. Any player with a decent paycheck will have to cut the check.
Every wife in the middle of a divorce will claim that her husband abused her or the children.
If you give in now, you will always give in.
The decision not to pursue means there’s some evidence of guilt,
=========================
Did the police say that there was some evidence of guilt?
And it wasn’t just the police that dropped it. She also dropped it. When your accuser drops it, that’s all there is to it. It means that the commentators have more belief in his guilt than the accuser does. You know that is wrong.
I feel like that’s where all this is headed Joe. I can’t believe the girl didn’t have charges brought against her for all this.
I can’t say this enough. Not only was Bauer not convicted of anything he wasn’t CHARGED with anything. If it was close the prosecutor would have pressed charges. It wasn’t close the girl was a liar.
He’s cleared in your opinion, but he’s not cleared legally. It’s an important distinction. Without the evidence that would clear him, the DA would not declare him cleared, because additional evidence could turn up that might change the decision to pursue the matter. No declaration of innocence would be made. You may feel he’s cleared, but legally he is not.
He admitted that it was rough sex that got out of hand. Not sure how you set someone up to get that result, unless he’s not too bright Plus it wasn’t the only time something like this happened.
Joel P — What team in their right mind would sign a scumbag like Bauer? It’s not even a matter of him overcoming legal charges (if they stick), but it’s clear what kind of lifestyle the guy has. I think his known reputation is enough to disqualify him from MLB. You only had to read the reports.
What lifestyle? Half the freaking NBA hangs out at strip clubs after the game. And good gosh dontcha think he’s gonna think twice about messing around with girls like this in the future??? Considering what happened to him it’s pretty obvious he will.
He’s not a scumbag that’s ridiculous.
“That chick,” you mention has not proven to be a liar, nor the other two women who came forward. Maybe you just want to look away, but I wouldn’t want Trevor Bauer on my team.
BS. You’ve got three woman claiming the same kind of savage approach when asked to stop.
Repeat it long enough and you will believe it, but Bauer’s actions can’t be sugar-coated.
If there was a case of any kind charges would have been filed. Charges being filed doesn’t guarantee a win for the prosecution but the fact that charges weren’t filed shows they don’t think they can possibly win.
What other 2 women? That’s nonsense.
She’s a proven liar. There are texts from her to her friend proving she’s a liar and this was all a setup. This same girl slept with Tatis too which people seem to forget. She’s garbage.
If Bauers actions were that bad why weren’t charges filed? The prosecutor had all eyes on him if there was a chance of the case being successful he would have went forward with the case.
Pete – are there some recent new accusations against Bauer I missed? Last i knew all the accusations were dealt with. no charges filed and just a civil suit he said she said that worked out in Trevor’s favor
Right she dropped the civil suit against him with no agreement. Basically he didn’t pay her off which means he’s clear of wrong-doing criminally and civilly.
Well that’s wrong. He paid her $300K. And again, you may feel he’s been cleared, but legally he hasn’t.
I read different on the pay out. No way defending his actions and multiple complaints show a major character flaw. Just in this case its over
@Jean You have your facts mixed up. Bauer didn’t pay her anything. She got that money from her insurance company.
usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2023/10/02/trevor-ba…
@Jean a video was released showing her in bed next to Bauer(who was asleep) the next morning and she didn’t have a mark on her ( and was smiling the whole time in the video). From what I heard she had a friend bruise up her face and then went to the police and said Bauer did it. There were also texts released that show her planning it.
We’re getting too deep into the weeds here, and I’ll also admit to getting the payoff wrong. I also admit that this women might have had ulterior motives.
That said there are issues that really can’t be proved either way. My original points, which still stand is: He was not “legally” cleared. Multiple claims of assault from other women indicate he has a problem. He bears much of the responsibility for his career crashing. And that no MLB team wants anything to do with him, and his record is justification for that.
Jean look into all the details of what actually happened here. This girl is no good. She’s lucky she’s not in prison right now.
He was an All Star in Japan last year. He can still pitch, but his clubhouse and legal reputation is keeping teams from signing him. Look at what Yamamoto got and Imanaga will eventually get from their Nippon performances. Teams are fearing the distraction of Bauer, but I would think he should be more mature at 32 years old (and still in his late prime).
What distraction??? What happened happened. Tell your local media guys to back off and it’s not an issue.
He’s not even listed as an available free agent on the sites list. No discussion about him all offseason.
The distraction of his non stop criticism of MLB to his legion of followers.
There’s no distraction- it’s just an unwritten fact that Bauer got himself banned from mlb for being a jerk. It shouldn’t be that way. League is more interesting w him in it, but no team is going to sign him this year or prob ever.
Red Sox need him bad w their financial woes, so do padres and o’s. But no one will sign him and the controlled media won’t talk about it
The Padres best player was caught using steroids and then lied about it. If they can move forward with him I don’t see why they couldn’t sign Bauer.
Happy New Year foppert!
He was publicly critical of how the league operated and handle certain matters on top of being a jerk. I honestly thought it was going to come out that the story was made up or the girl was put up to it by mlb , but mlb doesn’t have to do anything like that when they can just let it be known to owners they don’t want him in the league.
I hope I’m wrong and the orioles sign him but if no one does – now u know the truth.
And as for the controlled media narrative- me and u both know Bauer is a top 50 free agent easy, I got him around spot 20. Yet where is he on MLBTR list ?? Not even an honorable mention lol
Again if it comes out someone from MLB told media people not to report stories on him that’s definitely grounds for a lawsuit. The fact that his suspension ended up being exactly 192 days or whatever the number was is already ridiculous. This whole situation stinks. He did nothing wrong according to a court of law.
The media works for the mlb teams. U know that right ? That happened after the steroid era to keep smtg like that from happening again and to capture media dollars. Then those that don’t work for mlb follow suit in fear of pressure just how it is.
Also, and like I said I want Bauer in the league, but mlb does have the right to not employ him.
MLB doesn’t really have the right to unemploy him if it includes anything that tells teams to stay away from him. That’s not really within the rules.
Tatis got caught cheating. Then lied about it. He’s 100% guilty and he got less punishment than Bauer did over something Bauer was never actually criminally charged with.
That’s wrong.
That’s why they won’t say it publicly- they’ll get sued and that’s why if he doesn’t sign – I’m right, he’s banned
Let’s hope it’s a good one, Agnes !
It’s 2024. Every half smart employer makes employment decisions based on people’s social media presence.
Joel, It’s not just local media guys. A lot of fans have a strongly negative opinion of him. No team wants to alienate those fans. The media guys can totally back off, but there would still be a loud outcry. That’s the distraction.
Is there truly a large portion of fans that have strong feelings against Bauer? I think it’s more media than anything.
Again Tatis cheated. Got caught and bold faced lied about it. And he got less time and the team has moved on as if it never happened. And Tatis had relations with the same girl that accused Bauer of all this. Same freaking girl.
We will see what happens. I think someone will sign him but I was wrong last year could be wrong again.
Most people don’t equate using steroids to cheat with what Bauer did. I certainly don’t. I think most people think what Bauer did was worse than the Astro’s scandal. IMO Bauer is an excretable human being, and I would be angry if my team signed him; angry enough to boycott my team at least until he was no longer on the roster. I could be wrong, but I’d say I’m not the only one.
What did Bauer do????
He did nothing wrong. Legally he did nothing wrong. If this is the morality police then players shouldn’t be going to bars or strip clubs or doing anything like that.
Tatis is a cheat. That’s the worst thing you can be in baseball is a cheater. Nothing is worse.
The Padres best player was caught using steroids and then lied about it.
======================
How many wife-beaters have admitted their guilt and been welcomed back?
So actual beatings count for less than accusations where even the accuser has given up?
Yeah this isn’t a case where a girl and a guy were together the guy got mad and hit her. The girl and guy were strangers she asked her to hit him and then told her friends she was setting him up. Bauer is not perfect here but the real criminal is the girl.
Maybe cheating is the worse thing in baseball, but beating a someone is worse in life.
Again, not the first time for Bauer. And there’s a big difference between consensual rough sex, and beating someone to the point that Bauer did.
Joe, You’re making a lot false equations. Not all teams will welcome a wife-beater back. Someone losing their temper and hitting their wife is bad, very bad, but I’d say it’s a step up from a multi-occurrence beater of strangers.
The fact that she withdrew is not evidence of anything. The DA probably told her it was going to be a ‘he said-she said’ deal and hard to prove. That she would be grilled on the stand, and publicly embarrassed by her participation. And would have to go through all that with the possibility of losing the case. Just because she ended it does not make him innocent.
He’s not a wife beater he beat a stranger who literally asked for it so that she could try and get money from him. That’s not at all the same as domestic violence.
Those texts prove she wanted all this to happen and she planned for it. That’s what the DA saw and that’s why he didn’t go further with the charges.
This isn’t the 50s with your stand by me women this is new age nonsense. This happened right in the heart of the metoo movement and they still decided not to press charges.
Please. She asked for it? How about some degree of proportionality? If someone says they like it rough, that doesn’t mean they want their face smashed in.
You think someone who hits their wife in the heat of an argument is worse than someone that beats a stranger out of some perverse sense of sexual pleasure?
She told her friend she was going to set him up. And those photos were made to look worse than they really were she wasn’t hurt. He didn’t hurt her in any way except some surface scratches.
Saying she wanted this to happen isn’t victim blaming its literally true. She was setting him up.
@Jean
I go with what reportedly happened in the end.
there was no criminal charges PERIOD, the after the fact release of evidence shows likely why that was the case. the settlement in the civil case was because of the evidence showed she was full of crap. I believe that case was a defamation case.
the TL;DR: on this case is that it was an evil act by an evil woman that ruined a mans career and 100s of millions of dollars. IMO she got off easy.
I admit she may be in the wrong in this case. And had it been only this case his career would probably not be ruined. But three other women also accused him of assault. Plus, he still paid her $300K. The totality of all that is what ruined his career.
@Jean He didn’t smash her face in. You really haven’t been keeping up on this have you? As I mentioned above a video the girl took the next morning while she was in bed with Bauer (with him asleep) shows that she had no marks and was smiling and laughing in the video. Bauer dropped the lawsuit against her in exchange for a copy of the video and permission to release the video as well as her texts. Why would the girl agree to that if he was guilty?
@Jean
He paid her no money It was an insurance deal that paid her 300k guessing it was a policy taken to pay her legal bills if she did not win.
I cannot speak to the other accusations I only know that there are others. given that there have been no charges so far I have doubts. I assume they’ve all been investigated and given Trevor’s Reputation I doubt he gets the superstar treatment.
Trevor said he didn’t care about the money. I believe that. I’d rather be broke with a clear name than rich and falsely labeled as someone that does what he is accused of.
IMO every team probably thought about it, some longer than others but no team will in fear of backlash.
whether you agree with him or not there is no doubt that he has a personality unique in the MLB that could cause a club house problem. But to play in the MLB I bet he would be willing to tone that down some and keep his mouth shut.
I don’t think there is any legal risk given that it seems everything has been resolved with out any criminal issues..
I would sign him in a heart beat if he would take a significant discount to pitch in the MLB again. I bet he could be had at for under 20m AAV. If thats the case, all low payroll teams should be scrambling to get him. just add a clause for conduct. Best case he leads your team to the playoffs. worst case he is suspended and off the payroll. Heck he could probably be had for less in the right situation.
He was a Cy Young pitcher when he left. Is owning the Japan league at worst I would think he would be a mid rotation quality MLB pitcher again.
If i were king of a team i’d offer him three – five year deal depending on salary wording, clauses and such in the contract.
I don’t think has a case against the MLB unless the MLB specifically said don’t sign him. but i’m not a lawyer.
How is Bauer more of a clubhouse problem than Tatis a proven cheater or Altuve and his jersey buzzer or 50 other guys with questionable character?
This is media nonsense. Bauer did nothing legally wrong. He broke no rules.
I’m not talking about legal, ethical or cheating problems. I am talking about personality.
He comes off as a jerk and a very loud one. I don’t particularly mind but many people probably would. It isn’t just the media but they certainly do not help make him look good.
As a pirate fan, Assuming he is still a Cy Young quality pitcher… I could deal with that for an additional 10 wins. And as a player (as if i ever could be) I could probably deal with that if there are some play off wins in there.
Lot of players are jerks. I have seen enough of Juan Soto to think he’s a jerk. Stroman is a jerk. This isn’t church.
Lots of players are sure. Lots of players probably don’t want to play with them. Trevor is a different animal though. I don’t know him personally but boy people really disliked him.
Who are these people that dislike him so much????
I think if you knew what players did with their free time you would dislike a LOT of guys. But we don’t know what players do after the game is over.
Rob Manfred. It’s all that matters when it comes to getting a job in the MLB.
about half of the country if you catch my meaning, going through his social media over the years you could see that trend. It is common knowledge before the accusations that MLB didn’t like him to much either.
There were also quite a bit of interaction with former team mates and coaches that are reported to be less than pleasant. There is a documentary about him and about some of those issues. I think it was made pre-2020 but its been quite a while since I’ve seen it..
I cannot speak personally on what he may or may not be like offline as i haven’t met him. its none of our business what players do until it is made our business.
Just for clarity’s sake. I’m a proponent of him getting back into the MLB. I’m just saying why teams might be reluctant
Just as an update I saw an article mention that Bauer stated his agents have been in contact with MLB teams and he is looking to make the move back to MLB.
cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-rumors-trevor-bauer-say…
I kinda like him as a fit for the Jays. Heck that’s literally an entirely different country.
Sean would be a good fit in Chicago as the #2 or #3 guy in their rotation. (White Sox).
Whole heartedly agree. Unfortunately, I don’t think they have any real designs on fielding an even remotely competitive team.
seems like he could’ve been a fit for the pirates earlier in the off season. would have been a quality mid/backend guy for the pirates… likely anyway. a 2-3 year deal would’ve worked out nice as he would be finishing as the pirates prospects (hopefully) perform.
Sean Manaea finished the year great with the Giants.
He should be happy that Frankie Montas got 1 yr / $16 million, as he might be looking as his bet to opt-out as a win.
I think Sean should stay in SF. I feel like he was hot garbage when he got there and the coaching staff helped him quite a bit. And never gave up him even though he couldn’t find his zone. New coaching staff probably helped him make up his mind but SF churns out some midling talent into reliable. Now if they could just make hitters better….