New York Mets Need Trevor Bauer To Compete In National League’s Arms Race

There is risk in the New York Mets committing more than one year to Trevor Bauer at massive money. But there is also risk in the Mets losing Bauer to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and still having question marks behind ace Jacob deGrom in their rotation. 

The competition for Bauer is down to the defending World Series champions and the NL’s newest threat (due to recent Twitter retiree Steve Cohen’s net worth), the veteran right-hander’s agent, Rachel Luba, confirmed on social media Thursday. 

WFAN’s Ed Coleman reported the Mets have offered Bauer a three-year, $90 million deal with an opt out after 2021.  A pro-Bauer scout I spoke to said he’s not worth what he’s asking in terms of AAV — as in Gerrit Cole territory ($36 million), if not higher — given that he doesn’t have deGrom’s track record of consistent success. Still, the scout said, getting a No. 2 (or No. 1B) like Bauer to pair with deGrom at the top of the rotation puts the Mets firmly in contention with the Atlanta Braves in terms of vying for the NL East title. 

The 30-year-old Bauer (who had just one previous season with an ERA under 4.00) picked the perfect time to have a career year, winning the Cy Young in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. He capped off his stellar season by striking out 12 Braves during a dominant start in October. Even so, he certainly comes with his share of baggage, which does make him a risky acquisition.

New York’s current rotation has deGrom being followed by Carlos Carrasco (who is probably more of a No. 3), Marcus Stroman (who is probably a No. 4 even though he sees himself as more than that) and David Peterson (who has shown flashes but is still inexperienced). The Mets have also added rotation depth in the likes of Joey Lucchesi, Jordan Yamamoto and Jared Eickoff. And Noah Syndergaard is due back from Tommy John surgery at some point, though he posted a 4.28 ERA in his last health season (2019). 

Adding Bauer improves that group, with Seth Lugo then surely joining a bullpen that includes Edwin Diaz, Trevor May, Jeurys Familia, Dellin Betances and Aaron Loup. 

The NL is packed with rotation-rich teams. The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Dustin May, Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin. The San Diego Padres feature Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Chris Paddack and Dinelson Lamet. The Washington Nationals have Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and Jon Lester. And the Braves feature Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Ian Anderson, Mike Soroka and Kyle Wright. 

The Mets’ lineup is packed with impact players, including superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor, Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto. They still need a center fielder, with Jackie Bradley Jr. the more expensive possibility. If not Bradley, there’s Kevin Pillar and Albert Almora (or perhaps Kevin Kiermaier in a trade?). Plus-defense is needed in that spot, with hitting secondary. New York could also use the DH, with Dom Smith a superior defender to Pete Alonso at first base. Either way, there’s a lot to like with the Mets’ everyday team.  

Bauer would cap an impressive offseason for New York, which was also in the mix for JT Realmuto and George Springer. And it would make them a legit contender in the NL East — a deep playoff run possible as well.