MLB.com reporter Mark Feinsand answered questions in his usual inbox session. In that session, one person asked about Trevor Bauer.
Twitter user, @BengalsCeo, asked Feinsand if Bauer will ever sign somewhere. Feinsand got into a little more detail in his answer to this question (I mean he’s obviously going to sign somewhere).
Feinsand said, “Whether Bauer decides on a multiyear deal or a one-year pact, the Mets are the team to watch here” and also added, “Several other teams will be in the mix for Bauer, but the Mets feel like the team ready to take the jump to sign him.”
The Mets have mostly been connected to George Springer as their big ticket free agent this winter, but this is their first link to Bauer in a little while. The need for a pitcher of Bauer’s quality is quite obvious. The Mets had one of the worst rotations in baseball in 2020. Marcus Stroman will not fix that by himself and Noah Syndergaard is not back until June at the earliest.
Bauer has previously said he will only take one-year deals, but given the season he’s coming off, it seems rather unlikely. I know people are skeptical of his 11 start sample size but for what it’s worth, from 2017-2019, Bauer had a 3.68 ERA, 124 ERA+, 3.60 FIP, 10.7 K/9, and averaged 188 IP.
Ever since he discovered driveline, Bauer’s been a different pitcher. One that could really help the Mets rotation in 2021.
