Trevor Bauer joins Dodgers on record deal: three-years, $102 million

[Auggie]

For years, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers have looked for ways to be opportunistic and add elite free agents to shorter-term deals. Friedman and Co. made a run at Bryce Harper in 2019 and Gerrit Cole before last season.

While the Dodgers were unable to convince either Cole or Harper to take their talents to Los Angeles, they remained patient, believing they would find a way to strike in future offseasons. That patience paid off in a big way on Friday.

The Dodgers won the Trevor Bauer sweepstakes, as the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner agreed to a three-year, $102 million deal, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The club has not announced the deal, but Bauer revealed his decision on his YouTube channel.

Bauer has opt-outs after each of his first two years, sources told MLB.com, and he will be paid $40 million in 2021 and $45 million in ’22. He’ll become the highest-paid player in Major League history in ‘21 and again in ‘22. The deal would push the Dodgers’ payroll to more than $240 million, blowing past the $210 million Competitive Balance Tax threshold, meaning Los Angeles would have to pay a 20% tax on all overages.

https://www.mlb.com/news/trevor-bauer-dodgers-deal

NO SMALL MARKET TEAM CAN COMPETE WITH THIS KIND OF SPENDING. Why bother following the game if you're not from a large market?

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Outstanding pitcher but can be a head case. Hope the signing blows up on them.

[Ohiogal]

1. As a fan of

The small market Cleveland Indians who first brought up Bauer ...

This is just absurd.

[luvs2sing]

2. I have mixed feelings.

On one hand, the guy works his ass off, is willing to help other pitchers improve, and has improved himself on an interpersonal level (politics notwithstanding). He is generous with his money, time, and talent. So in that way, I feel he deserves whatever goodies come his way. He has come a long way from the head case Arizona got rid of, but he’ll always be..quirky. Aren’t most pitchers quirky? Aren’t we all?

OTOH, yeah..he will get as much if not more than the whole Cleveland payroll this year, and that flat out sucks. MLB needs revenue sharing..not that it will happen.

[True Dough]

3. There's a real good chance of major regression from Bauer this season, too

He has a history of up and down years. His career ERA is 3.90. He's no Jacob DeGrom.

[Auggie]

4. Yeah. I've been wondering what's left in that arm of his.

It used to be the only thing a team wanted from a starter was innings. But that's not important anymore.

I'm really close to not caring anymore. Love the game, loathe MLB.

[True Dough]

5. I'm not fond of the big market teams

gobbling up their top-tier talent with their mega-bucks payrolls. How can a Milwaukee or a Cincinnati compete, really?

[Auggie]

6. Maybe a small market team gets lucky and makes the playoffs,

but the depth of bench and bullpen will favor teams spending $$$

"Rebuilding" is a lousy marketing plan. We're supposed to find fun in that? Buy into it every four-five years?

Fool me twice? Thrice? Forget it.

[CanonRay]

7. Small market teams like the Rockies

just can't compete. We just had to let Arrenado go in a shitty one sided trade because of salary.

[kairos12]

8. Makes me almost want to support the cheating Astros.

[Capt. America]

9. The rich get richer. We need a salary cap and a salary minimum for teams. Greater revenue sharing.