Toronto Blue Jays: Trevor Bauer’s contract could be too pricey
The Toronto Blue Jays could find signing free agent Trevor Bauer difficult.
With many fans and teams looking to 2021 as a chance to rebound from a tough 2020, the Toronto Blue Jays see an opportunity to capitalize on a season where their young core took a step forward.
The team has made it clear they intend on being active in the free agent market and have been speaking with many players. At the top of the list, apparently, is highly touted ace pitcher Trevor Bauer who made it known that he had a conversation with the Blue Jays.
"“I’ve got a call with the Blue Jays, I’m going to check in with them and talk to their pitching coach and high-performance coach and see what they have to offer. So that’s moving forward,” Bauer said via Sportsnet."
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This is not the first time we have heard about the Blue Jays interest in the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner. It’s no secret he’s the top free agent on the market considering he’s the only one that is considered a true No.1 starter.
It has been an interesting week with the San Diego Padres providing a major shakeup in the offseason market that could put pressure the Blue Jays to push forward with their free agent plans.
Blake Snell and Yu Darvish are heading off to San Diego which takes two high calibre arms off the market. Considering the Blue Jays’ desires to make a significant addition to their roster, the more the waiting game continues, the tougher it will be to ensure they can get the targets who are at the top of their list.
It would be easy to see why Blue Jays fans would want the team to make a push for Bauer after he had a career-best 1.73 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 73 innings. However, the brakes should be pumped a bit when you consider that Bauer is looking to make around $200 million on a five- or six-year deal.
Considering what front-of-the-line starters have been paid, Toronto likely won’t get a discount on Bauer unless other teams aren’t willing to meet his price. So it’s possible that teams are sitting to see if Bauer will lower his price which might seem unlikely when you consider his willingness to update people on his free agency.
The other thing to consider is that the trade market might present a better opportunity for the Blue Jays to find the upgrade they are looking for. Considering George Springer is also on Toronto’s radar, it seems like he would be the better investment in free agency and making a trade for a pitcher would make more sense.
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Do you think the Blue Jays should be looking to sign Bauer? Is there a pitcher they can trade for who would be a better fit? Let us know in the comments below.