Trevor Bauer returned home and rejected the Mets, agreeing to the Dodgers on Friday.
Bauer, the free agent’s right-hand man, agreed to the terms of the World Series champions, rejecting the Mets’ three-year offer that would have paid him between $ 100 million and $ 110 million. Dodgers’ three-year contract is worth $ 102 million, paying him $ 40 million in the first year, $ 45 million in the second, with Bauer able to give up one or the other.
Bauer, 30, won 5-4 with an ERA of 1.73 in the shortened 2020 campaign.
While new owner Steve Cohen and returning team president Sandy Alderson have been a busy off-season in Flushing, it won’t end with the top pitcher (Bauer) or position player (George Springer) landing in the free agency.
However, the Mets debuted with star Francisco Lindor and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco in a deal with the Indians last month. They also signed catcher James McCann to a four-year deal worth $ 40 million and bolstered their bullpen with the addition of Trevor May and Aaron Loup. Marcus Stroman and Carrasco will be the third and fourth starters with Noah Syndergaard expected to return after Tommy John’s surgery in the middle of the season.
The Mets also remain in talks with free agent outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr.
Bauer, a former UCLA star, is having trouble off the field, especially on social media. He harassed a student on Twitter two years ago, digging up a photo of her drinking schedule before she turned 21 and ridiculing her by her 414,000 followers. Bauer tweeted 17 times to her, or others while talking about her, for three days. He later apologized.
Bauer discussed the desire to play every four days and said, in part, that his team’s desire to work with him on that experiment would be part of his decision. He spent six more seasons with the Indians before being distributed to the tomatoes before the 2019 trading deadline.