Pitchers and catchers of Mets will report to spring practice in less than two weeks, and by Friday afternoon, team officials should know if Trevor Bauer will be among the attendees.
The ace right-handed agent, Rachel Luba, announced on Twitter on Thursday that Bauer has narrowed down his picks to two teams – with all indications that the Mets and Dodgers are the finalists.
Bauer, the best starting pitcher on the market, received an offer from the Mets about three weeks ago, according to an industry source. The industry belief is that if offers are close by, Bauer will choose the Mets because he wants to grow his personal brand in the widest possible market.
Bauer has tried to become baseball’s highest-paid pitcher in terms of average annual value, but the Mets’ original offer to him was lower than the $ 36 million Gerrit Cole receives a year from the Yankees, a source said. The offer was expected to fall within the three to four year range (north of $ 30 million per year) and include at least one opt-out.
Last season, 30-year old Bauer won the National League Cy Young Award after going 5-4 with an 1.73 ERA in 11 starts for the Reds. His addition would give the Mets a dynamic 1-2 punch on top of their rotation, with Jacob deGrom (who won the Cy Young Award in 2018 and ’19) as the other component.
The Mets have already had a prolific winter under new owner Steve Cohen, with the trade bringing Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland. The addition of Bauer would reunite three components of the Indians’ World Series in 2016.
James McCann and Trevor May, both signed as free agents, are the other major additions to the Mets this winter. Not so for Marcus Stroman, who accepted the Mets’ qualifying offer to return for 2021.
Mets’ rotation to start the season could potentially include deGrom, Bauer, Carrasco, Stroman and David Peterson. In June, the team hopes Noah Syndergaard returns from Tommy John rehab for a new high-octane arm.
Other rotation options include Joey Lucchesi and Jordan Yamamoto, who both came in in exchange and have minor league options left.
Wherever he lands, Bauer’s words will be scrutinized after multiple incidents of bullying on social media. Most notably, he harassed a female college student on Twitter two years ago and later apologized. Bauer’s responses to the woman included digging up a photo from her timeline of her drinking for her 21st birthday, making fun of her by his 414,000 followers. Bauer tweeted to the woman or others 17 times while discussing her over three days.
“I am aware that some of the interactions related to a specific Twitter exchange may have had a negative impact,” Bauer said in a recent statement. “That was not my intention. I will exercise the responsibility of my public platform in a more responsible manner in the future. “
The addition of Bauer would put the Mets right at or above the $ 210 million luxury tax threshold. If they exceed the figure, they pay a 20 percent fine for every dollar spent in excess of $ 210 million.
But even with Bauer, the Mets may not be finished spending as they look for possible upgrades in midfield and third base.
If the Mets don’t sign Bauer, they could turn to an option in the middle of the spin, like Jake Odorizzi or James Paxton.