The New York Mets have done more than enough to address their rotation issues. They offered a qualifying offer to Marcus Stroman, which he took, they traded for Carlos Carrasco and Joey Lucchesi. When they get Noah Syndergaard back from injury, the unit will be among the best in the league. Jacob deGrom (arguably the best pitcher in the league) and David Peterson are the other two members.
However, the Mets have also been connected to Trevor Bauer lately. After trading for Francisco Lindor and Carrasco and signing Trevor May and James McCann, the assumption was that they wouldn’t be bringing additional big contracts unless the target was a center fielder.
However, an opportunity to bring the reigning NL Cy Young award winner is right there, mainly because he is getting out of potential suitors. Bauer would be a natural fit for the Los Angeles Angels, but a recent article by the Los Angeles Times explained that the relationship between the pitcher and coach Mickey Callaway is damaged beyond repair from their days with the Cleveland Indians.
The Toronto Blue Jays have spent lots and lots of dollars in George Springer, Kirby Yates, and Marcus Semien. It’s unlikely that they pursue Bauer. The Yankees appear all set in the rotation, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in wait-and-see mode, just like the New York Mets.
The Mets’ offer in detail
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman explained the details about the Mets’ offer to the free-agent right-hander:
“Mets’ offer to Bauer thought 3-4 years with opt-outs and less than $36M AAV record. Dodgers could have similar type interest but unlikely to go long. Some teams believe Bauer seeks much longer deal, and pitching comps they’ve used are long deals: Cole (324M) and Strasburg (245M),” he tweeted.
The thing is that Bauer is unlikely to get that kind of money and years in the current market. Not at this point, when most teams have addressed their rotation and/or spent their budget elsewhere. And there is the situation with Callaway and the Angels.
The Mets can certainly swoop in and get Bauer. Will they? Is it possible that they are the favorites now? We should be getting closer to a resolution.