PITCHER NOT SHY ABOUT GIVING JAYS FANS HOPE
BAUER’S VIDEO ON NEW YEAR’S EVE ADDS TO SPECULATION TORONTO A POSSIBLE LANDING SPOT
There probably aren’t many who openly embrace free agency more publicly than Trevor Bauer — and given the riches that await the premier starting pitcher available in this slow-crawling winter market, who could blame him?
Few are as adept at promoting themselves as Bauer, either, which has added to the entertainment value of what otherwise has to this point been a sleepy off- season for Major League Baseball.
But when Bauer dropped his latest social media post over the weekend and tangibly attached himself to the Toronto Blue Jays, the pursuit of upper- tier talent got that much more interesting for Toronto general manager Ross Atkins and a front office in full aggression mode.
That the Jays have been among the more bullish teams wooing the biggest of the big names has been well- documented over the past few months and is one of the big stories in baseball this fall and winter. Ultimately, the Jays’ interest could well be used as a negotiation pawn by the player to drive up competing offers, but that’s the business of professional sport. The sense is the Jays are being taken seriously, however.
Bauer, meanwhile, isn’t shy about getting tongues wagging in multiple markets as the 29- yearold right hander looks to maximize his value. The pitcher has played for both Cleveland and Cincinnati and is preparing to leave Ohio for the first time since 2012.
So. when he posted a video to his Twitter account on New Year’s Eve, Bauer dropped the news that he was about to have a virtual meeting with the Jays’ front office and coaching staff. It was vintage Bauer, who was well aware how the news would be received.
“I’m on my way back home to meet up with the parents,” Bauer said on the video taken while he was driving near the Pacific somewhere in the San Diego area.
“I’ve got a call with the Blue Jays at six ( p. m.). I’m going to check in with them, talk with their pitching coach and their high performance coach and see what they have to offer. So that’s moving forward.”
To be noted, this is not the first time Bauer has mentioned the Jays on social media this off- season, poking Toronto fans a couple months back to let them know he’s shopping around.
While neither side is revealing the details of the meeting, the fact that Bauer mentioned wanting to hear what pitching coach Pete Walker had to say certainly caught our attention.
Returning for his ninth season in the position, Walker’s reputation as one of the better pitching coaches in the game continues to grow. The players like his approach and the list of pitchers he’s improved with minor tweaks and observations is a growing one.
Though he’s very much his own dude, Bauer would likely appreciate Walker’s laid- back approach, especially when it comes to handling a thrower of his elite calibre.
Bauer probably figures to be a long shot for the Jays at this point, though he’s not to be ruled out, especially if the Jays are willing to pay big. Fitting his outsized personality, Bauer is reported to be seeking a supersized contract, a multi-year deal that would match or surpass the US$ 36 million per season that Gerrit Cole got from the Yankees last winter.
Depending on how serious the bidding gets, there’s a likelihood the Jays would have to pay a premium to land Bauer, given the uncertainty of the team’s home in the coming season.
But Bauer wants to win and as a keen observer of the game. He has probably formed an opinion of the good things happening with the Jays’ talented and developing young core. The 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner would obviously make a potent one- two punch with Hyun- jin Ryu in front of one of the intriguing power arms in the game, Nate Pearson.
Dare to dream
The Jays’ acknowledged chase for Bauer is also notable in that it puts the team in a triple- play status of being linked to the top three players of the 2021 freeagent class. Several reports have suggested the list of suitors for outfielder George Springer is down to the Jays and the New York Mets, while infielder DJ Lemahieu is of keen interest to Atkins should he not re-sign with the Yankees.
While the pace at which the off- season has moved is frustrating, it is far from surprising. For public consumption, full spring training and regular- season schedules remain in place, though privately there are concerns that either or both of those schedules may change.
As soon as one of the big names signs a contract, expect the tempo to accelerate in a hurry.
Given the Yankees, Mets and now the Dodgers are reportedly in the hunt for Lemahieu, there remains the possibility that the Jays are not the top choice for any of the big three names. The fact that there are fewer teams than normal after the top offerings bodes reasonably well for the Jays to snag at least one of the big three, however.
As Jays president Mark Shapiro noted recently, winning the off- season rarely guarantees winning the regular season and historically he isn’t wrong. Competing for Bauer and some of the best names in the game, however, is another step in the right direction.