According to a Jon Heyman report, teams pursuing Trevor Bauer believe that the pitcher is interested in a deal for five or six years worth $36 to $40 million. A deal worth that much would break the Major League Baseball AAV record, previously set by Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees prior to the 2020 season.
Interested teams suggest Trevor Bauer seeks a 5- or 6-year deal for $36M to $40M (about $200M). Bauer is coming off a brilliant Cy Young season but the star market is slow. The record AAV is $36M by Bauer’s UCLA teammate Gerrit Cole. Agent Rachel Luba declines comment on talks.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 30, 2020
Bauer’s coming off a 2020 campaign that saw him win the NL Cy Young award. The 29-year-old led the league in ERA (1.73), WHIP (0.795), ERA+ (276), and complete game shut-outs (2). He struck out 100 over 11 starts and 73 innings.
The money that Bauer has in mind seems surprisingly high. With the exception of 2018 (2.21 ERA, 1.089 WHIP, 2.44 FIP) and 2020, Bauer’s been a very average pitcher. His ERA+ has hovered around 100 most years, showing how average he’s been. ERA+ helps show how well a pitcher stacks up against all other pitchers.
However, that’s not to say that Bauer isn’t worth big money. He’s in his prime, and the Bauer we saw in 2020 is nothing we’ve seen before. Bauer’s a complete workhorse, and does everything needed to be successful. There’s no reason why his strong performance won’t continue into 2021 and beyond, but it’s virtually impossible to pitch at the same level he did in 2020 in 2021. That being said, he’s not actually worth nearly $40 million a year.
Bauer’s likely trying to get desperate teams to bite and spend big money. Although his services may only be worth $20-$30 million, he could sign with a team desperate to win. Signing with a franchise like the New York Yankees or the New York Mets seems unlikely with the number that Bauer is asking for. The Yankees already have Gerrit Cole they have to pay, and the Mets certainly won’t be biting since they already have two aces in Jacob DeGrom and Noah Syndergaard.
It’s a bit surprising that Trevor Bauer may be looking for a record deal, however, it’s not impossible he gets it. Bauer won’t get that high of a number with either New York team, but it could be a possibility with teams desperate to win.