Alderson: Mets weren’t ‘naive’ in pursuit of Bauer
Mets president Sandy Alderson says the team may have been naive to think it could manage Trevor Bauer’s habit of inflammatory social media posts but says he’s happy with New York’s offseason changes despite failing to sign the NL Cy Young Award winner.
Bauer agreed Feb. 5 to a $102 million, three-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a deal that was finalized a week later.
The former Reds ace has been involved in multiple controversies on social media, where he has a huge following and is actively involved in creating and writing content for his channels. Two higher-profile incidents both involved women, including a college student who accused the 30-year-old Bauer of harassing her online. Bauer tweeted the student “was obsessed with me.”
“I think that he would have added a dimension to our team, maybe a third or fourth dimension,” Alderson said with a laugh during a news conference Monday in Port St. Lucie, Florida, ahead of the Mets’ spring training opener. “And hard to know how that would have turned out. But we thought we could manage it. And maybe that was naive. We’ll see.
“But look, we’re very happy with the roster we have, and I’m not here to say, wow, we dodged a bullet. I’m here to say we made an effort. We thought he would help our team. We understood what the risks were associated with some of the social media stuff. We actually had discussions internally with group or groups in our organization to talk about that, including women. And so I was happy with where we ended up, and he made a choice. And now maybe I’m even happier with where we ended up, given the fact that we were able to add someone like Taijuan Walker and others.”
Alderson, the former Mets general manager, returned as team president when Steve Cohen completed his $2.4 billion purchase of the team from the Wilpon and Katz
The New York Mets made a run at starting pitcher Trevor Bauer this offseason before the Los Angeles Dodgers landed the National League’s 2020 Cy Young winner with a $102 million contract.
families on Nov. 6. Alderson said he never spoke directly with Bauer but talked with the pitcher’s agent about the social media presence and the need for Bauer to take responsibility for it.
“We did spend a lot of time on it and felt that, look, we weren’t being naive. I don’t think in the sense that, OK, we turn this guy around on a dime and turn him into
something that he wasn’t before,” Alderson said. “I did feel that we could manage it as long as we were communicating with him and being sort of attuned to what was going on.”
Alderson said the Mets spoke with women in the organization about their views of Bauer.
“I’m not talking about senior management. There were others that were involved to get their perception,” Alderson said. “I thought it was pretty inclusive.”
Vi Ripken, mother of Cal Jr., dies at 82
Vi Ripken, matriarch of the famed Orioles family that includes Hall of Fame son Cal Ripken Jr. and once the victim of a bizarre kidnapping, has died. She was 82.
Family spokesman John Maroon said Sunday that she died on Friday, a day before her birthday, in Aberdeen, where a youth stadium carries the Ripken name.
Violet and Cal Ripken Sr. married in 1957, and he spent four decades in the Baltimore system as a player, minor league coach and manager. He managed the Orioles in 1987 and early 1988, when sons Cal Jr. and Billy played infield for him.
In 2012, police said Vi Ripken was kidnapped at gunpoint at her home in Aberdeen and driven around blindfolded by her abductor. She was found bound and unharmed about 24 hours later in her car near her home. The case was never solved.
Nats’ Soto sits after fouling ball off foot
Washington Nationals slugger Juan Soto sat out the team’s exhibition home opener on Monday because he fouled a ball off his right foot a day earlier.
Manager Dave Martinez said the 2020 NL batting champion originally was scheduled to play Monday against the Houston Astros, before the mishap in batting practice Sunday.
“Just being cautious,” Martinez said. “Said he feels OK, but we’re just going to give him a day or two. See how he feels tomorrow.”
Martinez said the ball went underneath the shin guard the left-handed-hitting Soto wears on his front foot while batting.
The 22-year-old Soto hit .351 last season, with a 1.185 OPS that also led the NL. He is shifting from left field to right field in 2021.