The Dodgers Are Kicking The Tires On Trevor Bauer

The World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly “monitoring” the market for last year’s NL Cy Young right-hander Trevor Bauer, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

When did George Steinbrenner take over the Dodgers? Good grief.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are monitoring the market for right-hander Trevor Bauer and could be a player depending on the price, sources tell ESPN. Focus for the Dodgers now remains on a right-handed infield bat, but Bauer and the Dodgers remain a possibility as his market develops.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 20, 2021

Since third baseman Justin Turner’s three-year, $39 million contract expired this offseason, the Dodgers have some money to play with. Anytime a World Series championship is won by a team with a deep farm system that still has money to spend–other teams have a problem.

When the report reads “monitoring,” that essentially means that Trevor Bauer’s market is down. Baseball wise, the NL Cy Young winner was dynamic last year, but other than the Padres and Blue Jays–who’s spending money right now?

That dwindling free-agent market is playing right in the hands of major markets like the Dodgers, which can now land free agents they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. 

Was on the phone with our pal Daniel Bard and we just for the heck of it pulled up a list of the guys with the highest average 4 seamer spin in the 2020 regular season.

#1 Trevor Bauer
#2 Lucas Sims
#3 Jason Adam (also a Codify friend😎)
#4 Luke Bard 🧬
#5 Daniel Bard 🧬 pic.twitter.com/UrkRtf1bDS

— Codify, Inc. (@CodifyBaseball) January 20, 2021

Projected Dodgers rotation

With Trevor Bauer, the Dodgers would have the best rotation in baseball, and it wouldn’t be particularly close. Their rotation had enough depth last year to move World Series juggernaut Julio Urias to the bullpen. The ability to move their fifth-best starter to the pen was a game-changer and ultimately won them a title.

Now the Dodgers may add another ace to that rotation? A 32-year-old injury prone Clayton Kershaw would suddenly have the ability to take a couple weeks off and the Dodgers wouldn’t miss a beat in his absence. The former Cy Young winner would become a luxury they could hold onto for late in the season.

If you hated watching the boys in blue win in 2020, wait ’til you see this team take the field in ’21 with Trevor Bauer and Walker Beuhler at the top of that rotation. The only question would be whether that 116-win record Seattle set back in ’01 still stands next season. For baseball’s sake…we sure hope it does.