The New York Mets didn’t lose any top starters over the winter, and added Marcus Stroman, Carlos Carrasco, and Joey Lucchesi to the roster, fortifying the rotation depth and bringing star power. Yet, all signs point at them not being done improving their chances to win in 2021.
After missing on JT Realmuto (he hasn’t signed yet, but the Mets already brought a starting catcher in James McCann) George Springer and Brad Hand, the New York Mets are apparently willing to make one last splash in the offseason: starting pitcher Trevor Bauer.
Recent reports suggest that in the case he signs a one-year pact, Bauer would command something close to $40 million, which would break the average annual value (AAV) record set by Gerrit Cole with $36 million.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Mets have offered Bauer “a contract which would make him baseball’s highest-paid player by average annual value (AAV).”
The Mets have great depth, but they want the best
If the report is true, it would be quite a surprise, since the New York Mets don’t necessarily need Bauer. They have Jacob deGrom, Stroman, David Peterson, Steven Matz, Carrasco, and Lucchesi ready to pitch when needed, with Noah Syndergaard set to return from injury sometime in June.
However, bringing Bauer into the fold would push the Mets’ rotation into the true elite of the game without question.
Rotoworld explains that the specifics of the Mets’ proposal aren’t known, but the deal would be “much shorter in length” than Gerrit Cole’s nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees.
Nightengale details that the Mets made the offer in “recent weeks” and have stayed in close contact with the pitcher’s camp.
Bauer won the National League Cy Young award in 2020 with the Cincinnati Reds, with a 1.73 ERA, besting deGrom and Yu Darvish in the process.