The Los Angeles Dodgers and Trevor Bauer have reached a historic deal to bring the 2020 NL Cy Young award winner back to his home-turf, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.
The deal is for three years and $102 million, according to MLB.com Executive Reporter Mark Feinsand, with opt-outs after both 2021 and 2022. Bauer will be paid $40 million in 2021, then $45 million in 2022 should he choose to stay, making him the highest paid MLB player of all time in back-to-back seasons. After a day of back-and-forth Twitter teasing, the Southern California native announced his decision in a YouTube video posted to his channel shortly after Heyman broke the news.
Bauer spent the 2020 campaign with the Cincinnati Reds, where he pitched to an elite level over 11 games. He finished the year with a 1.73 ERA, a 0.79 WHIP, and 12.33 K/9. Bauer’s best full season came in 2018, a year in which he made 27 starts and pitched to a 12-6 record, slotting a 2.21 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and a 11.34 K/9 over 175.1 IP.
Now, he joins an elite rotation that includes three-time NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, David Price, and Dustin May, along with pieces like Julio Urias.
Bauer grew up and spent his childhood in Southern California before attending and pitching for UCLA’s baseball team. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets, who were the Dodgers competition for Bauer, did offer more money, but the idea of returning home was too enticing for the right-hander.
