True Blue LA - Trevor Bauer signs 3-year, $102 million contract with DodgersWhere The Dodger Dogs Are Always Grilledhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49563/truebluela_fav.png2021-02-12T17:13:21-08:00http://www.truebluela.com/rss/stream/220347602021-02-12T17:13:21-08:002021-02-12T17:13:21-08:00Trevor Bauer contract details
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<figcaption>February 11, 2021: Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer at his introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium. | <em>Photo credit: Jon SooHoo | LA Dodgers</em></figcaption>
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<p>Opt-outs could make this either a 1-year, $40 million or 2-year, $85 million deal</p> <p id="4GNlsP">The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> on Thursday <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/11/22279016/dodgers-payroll-limits-trevor-bauer-justin-turner-andrew-friedman">finalized their three-year contract with Trevor Bauer</a>, with the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner guaranteed up to $102 million over the life of the deal.</p>
<p id="HRC5ED">Bauer’s contract is structured in such a way that he can opt out of the deal after 2021 or after 2022. The payout, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/12/trevor-bauers-102-million-deal-with-the-dodgers-is-unique-heres-why.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.PostToTwitter">per Jabari Young at CNBC</a>, is as follows:</p>
<p id="wF01X0">$10 million signing bonus<br><strong>2021</strong>: $28 million<br><strong>2022</strong>: $32 million<br><strong>2023</strong>: $32 million</p>
<p id="Ia4fvP">If Bauer opts out after 2021, he gets an extra $2 million. If he opts out after 2022, he gets $15 million. That effectively makes this potentially either a one-year, $40 million deal, or a two-year, $85 million deal, though with three guaranteed seasons the total contract <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/5/22268827/trevor-bauer-contract-dodgers-competitive-balance-tax#comments">has a lower average annual value ($34 million) for competitive balance tax purposes</a>.</p>
<p id="ABqwkF">“I’ve said it a lot this entire process, I’m looking for a partnership. I want a chance to win,” <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/11/22279016/dodgers-payroll-limits-trevor-bauer-justin-turner-andrew-friedman">Bauer said at his introductory press conference on Thursday</a>. “I don’t want to be a player that signs a long term deal and towards the end is resented either by the fan base by the organization, or on my end for having my performance slip below what my contract dictates. So I wanted something with with flexibility.”</p>
<p id="cSK6YU">A contract with various levers has some caveats. Bauer’s $28 million salary for 2021 is all due on November 1, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-los-angeles-dodgers-84a6400a3ddcf8b08e13dd7ccfc8b060">per Ronald Blum of the Associated Press</a>. If Bauer opts out after the 2021 season, the Dodgers can defer $20 million.</p>
<p id="UNWae4">From Blum:</p>
<blockquote><p id="Y4oo6L"><em>If he opts out after this year, he would receive a $2 million buyout, but the Dodgers would be able to defer $20 million of his 2021 salary without interest and pay that money in $2 million installments each Dec. 1 from 2031-40. </em></p></blockquote>
<p id="POHHLE">The Dodgers don’t generally give out no-trade clauses, but Bauer has a limited one. Again, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-los-angeles-dodgers-84a6400a3ddcf8b08e13dd7ccfc8b060">per Blum at the AP</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p id="UIQJqB"><em>Bauer has a limited no-trade provision that requires his consent to be dealt to an American League team from opening day through the All-Star Game. He has a contingent limited no-trade provision for the rest of each season requiring his approval to be dealt to an AL team if he is an All-Star, has thrown more than 80 innings before the All-Star Game or pitches at least one inning in each start before the All-Star Game. </em></p></blockquote>
<p id="oQaQqZ">To make room for Bauer on the 40-man roster on Thursday, the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/11/22278309/josh-sborz-dfa-dodgers-trevor-bauer-contract">Dodgers designated Josh Sborz for assignment</a>. He’ll have to be placed on waivers at some point in the next week.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/12/22269484/trevor-bauer-contract-details-dodgersEric Stephen2021-02-12T05:07:00-08:002021-02-12T05:07:00-08:00Reaction to Trevor Bauer’s opening Dodgers presser
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<figcaption>As manager Dave Roberts looks on, Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer answers questions at his introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium on February 11, 2021. | <em>Photo credit: Jon SooHoo | LA Dodgers</em></figcaption>
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<p>Bauer’s three-year contract became official on Thursday</p> <p id="4ANiPA">Trevor Bauer and the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> finalized his three-year, $102 million contract on Thursday, then introduced the pitcher at Dodger Stadium. Here are several reactions from <a href="https://youtu.be/uJhDxm3PUfY">that press conference</a>:</p>
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<p id="XPooXB">“A lot of people have told me, ‘If you can play for the Dodgers, you should. It’s first class, the best that I’ve ever experienced,’” Bauer said Thursday. Beth Harris <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-baseball-los-angeles-cincinnati-santa-clarita-2d07c3a25a674ee4f0565c24f6092a7b">at the Associated Press recapped his introduction in Los Angeles</a>.</p>
<p id="EKgZgN">Trevor Bauer’s contract shouldn’t jeopardize the Dodgers’ long-term future, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2021-02-11/trevor-bauer-clayton-kershaw-dodgers-future-impact">says Jorge Castillo at the Los Angeles Times</a>.</p>
<p id="ALm986">Bauer chose the Dodgers to win a <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a>, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2021-02-11/trevor-bauer-signing-dodgers-world-series">writes Jack Harris at the Los Angeles Times</a>.</p>
<p id="G7DV1H">Juan Toribio at MLB.com <a href="https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/trevor-bauer-introduced-by-dodgers">wrote about Bauer’s “surreal moment” joining the Dodgers</a>.</p>
<p id="EQylvM">Jim Alexander at the Orange County Register <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2021/02/11/alexander-trevor-bauer-dodger-isnt-fully-celebrated/">wrote about Dodgers fans “who are queasy at best about his addition to the roster.”</a></p>
<p id="VfCbqZ">Alden Gonzalez at ESPN <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30883154/trevor-bauer-says-committed-being-better-los-angeles-dodgers-introduction">wrote about Bauer’s commitment “to be better.”</a></p>
<p id="ExG7jY">Molly Knight at The Athletic <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F2383113%2F2021%2F02%2F11%2Ftrevor-bauer-dodgers-press-conference%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.truebluela.com%2F2021%2F2%2F12%2F22279416%2Fdodgers-trevor-bauer-press-conference-video-reaction" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">offered what she thought Bauer could have said on Thursday in response to questions about his past online harassment</a>.</p>
<p id="blXHbI">Jayson Stark at The Athletic <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F2380545%2F2021%2F02%2F11%2Fstark-4-big-nl-pitching-moves-that-made-a-deep-impact%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.truebluela.com%2F2021%2F2%2F12%2F22279416%2Fdodgers-trevor-bauer-press-conference-video-reaction" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">compared Bauer’s impact to three other big pitching moves this offseason</a>.</p>
<p id="P3NLx1">Chelsea Janes at the Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/02/11/dodgers-trevor-bauer/">wrote about Bauer’s unorthodox Dodgers introduction</a>.</p>
<h3 id="93tfzr">Other links</h3>
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<li id="gRL6PU">Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2021/02/11/dodgers-andrew-friedman-wont-rule-out-re-signing-justin-turner/">wrote about how Andrew Friedman wouldn’t rule out a Justin Turner reunion</a>.</li>
<li id="6bJ3ib">More from <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2021-02-11/clayton-kershaw-candid-dodgers-andrew-friedman-blm-covid-vaccine">Jorge Castillo’s recent visit to Texas in the Los Angeles Times</a>: Clayton Kershaw on MLB teams not trying to win, and a lot more.</li>
<li id="8MXGn3">Patrick Dubuque at Baseball Prospectus <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/64623/cold-takes-baseballs-biodiversity-problem/">offered a unique perspective on the designated hitter argument</a>: “Specialization is, at its root, a collective action problem: It creates results that no one wants, but that everyone has incentive to further along.”</li>
</ul>
https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/12/22279416/dodgers-trevor-bauer-press-conference-video-reactionEric Stephen2021-02-11T17:42:23-08:002021-02-11T17:42:23-08:00The Dodgers signing Trevor Bauer was an exercise in excess
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<img alt="Trevor Bauer at his introductory press conference with the Dodgers on February 11, 2021." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OKFotFLabx8MnoHbD4NKeskFpDI=/0x0:4096x2731/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68807211/trevor_bauer_jon_soohoo_021121.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption><em>Photo credit: </em><a class="ql-link" href="https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1360000211712573443" target="_blank"><em>Jon SooHoo | LA Dodgers</em></a></figcaption>
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<p>Andrew Friedman on adding Bauer: “Because of the talent we had, it was a really high bar to crack.”</p> <p id="Zl8odm">The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> introduced prized free agent acquisition Trevor Bauer at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, a little less than one week removed from when they were skeptical this press conference would even happen.</p>
<p id="EyHzTk">“I went to bed Thursday night really bummed, and thinking it wasn’t going to work out,” said Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, referring to last week’s courting of the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner.</p>
<p id="VuwCKe">But despite <a href="https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/1357484131400048642">a certain tweet’s claim on Feb. 4</a>, Bauer and the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> did <em>not</em> have a deal. Bauer described waking up at 6 a.m. Friday to calls from his agents, and sought counsel from both his parents — his mom, who was with him, and his dad at home in Southern California. Ultimately, Bauer decided on the Dodgers, whose three-year, $102 million contract offered the two highest single-season salaries in major league history — $40 million in 2021, $45 million in 2022 — and the flexibility of having opt-out clauses after each of the first two years.</p>
<p id="7xoGqp">“I don’t want to be a player that signs a long-term deal and towards the end is resented either by the fan base, by the organization or on my end for having my performance slip below what my contract dictates,” Bauer said. “So I wanted something with flexibility. I wanted something that worked for me and for the organization.</p>
<p id="RNxBs1">“It wasn’t about the money. For me. It’s about being a part of something that’s bigger than myself, being a part of an organization that can win. I want to win a <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a>. I’ve come in second, both in college [at <a href="https://www.bruinsnation.com">UCLA</a>, in 2010] and in the big leagues [in Cleveland, in 2016]. I’m tired of it. I want to come in first.”</p>
<p id="XHhNst">The Dodgers finished first on the field in 2020, winning their first World Series in 32 years. They’ll start this year first, too, both in expectations and in payroll. </p>
<p id="wvvbru">“Our ownership group, Mark Walter, put some wind behind the sails and said, ‘Let’s go. Get this done,’” Friedman said. “Fortunately, it wasn’t too late, and we were able to come to this outcome. I couldn’t be more excited about it.”</p>
<p id="Azd1xr">Adding Bauer to the mix <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/5/22268827/trevor-bauer-contract-dodgers-competitive-balance-tax">vaults the Dodgers into the upper echelon of competitive balance tax penalties for 2021</a>. Currently the CBT payroll is right around $240 million. Anything over $250 million would incur a 62.5-percent penalty and see the Dodgers’ 2021 first-round draft pick drop 10 slots.</p>
<p id="xZVXnl">To date, <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2020/11/2/21547184/dodgers-transactions-2020-2021-offseason">none of the Dodgers’ offseason moves have involved offense</a>. They’ve stated numerous times this offseason <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2020/12/17/22187755/dave-roberts-justin-turner-free-agency-david-price-dodgers-offseason">their desire to add a right-handed bat to their lineup</a>. Justin Turner <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/1/22261112/justin-turner-watch-dodgers">is still available</a>, and fits that bill to a tee. Friedman said the Dodgers would not be limited when it comes to adding more talent.</p>
<p id="v3o7dh">“I think we’re committed to doing everything we can to put together the best roster that we can,” Friedman said. “Obviously, it’s difficult for me to comment on a specific free agent, but I think it’s pretty well documented, what we think of JT, what he’s meant to this organization.”</p>
<p id="9bqCAC">Even with the addition of Bauer, the Dodgers still have long-term payroll flexibility. They only have three players signed to guaranteed contracts for a total of $59 million in 2023, and two of those (Bauer and A.J. Pollock) are player options. There will be several players going through the salary arbitration process by then, like Cody Bellinger and Walker Buehler, but it’s not an unwieldy payroll by any means.</p>
<p id="m8FqOS">This is an ownership group that paid $150 million in competitive balance tax in their first five full seasons (2013-17), and had a payroll average just over $200 million in the last three years despite falling under the threshold. That reset the Dodgers’ tax rate for this year, which starts at 20 percent, rather than the 50 percent a third-time-repeating tax payer would face.</p>
<p id="OyMxzS">“I think it’s difficult at any one moment in time to look at our payroll, and to deduce too much from it,” Friedman explained. “It is a three- to five-year kind of process that we look at, the ebbs and flows of that. But the thing that has been constant throughout is winning. So that’s where our mindset still is, and we’ll see how that plays out.”</p>
<p id="MjzOUt">Acquiring Bauer was an exercise in excess for the Dodgers, who already had six capable major league starting pitchers before landing the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. But you need a lot of starting pitchers to get through a 162-game season, especially coming off a shortened 60-game season in which nobody in MLB reached triple digits in innings pitched, even counting the postseason.</p>
<p id="OgjAke">From 2016-19, the last four full seasons, the Dodgers averaged 8.5 pitchers starting at least five games for them.</p>
<p id="NNZhnM">As volatile as Bauer’s performance on the field has been, with only two of his seven full seasons ending with an ERA under 4.00, what he does provide is some certainty with his health, having never suffered an arm injury thus far in his career. Since the start of 2016, Bauer is <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2020&month=0&season1=2016&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2016-01-01&enddate=2020-12-31&sort=8,d">sixth in the majors in innings pitched</a>, and 10th in games started.</p>
<p id="wgK1io">“His ability to take the ball every turn is really impactful. For us as we are looking to navigate the unknown, and all that comes with that, adding to our pitching depth was something that was important to us,” Friedman said. “That being said, because of the talent we had, it was a really high bar to crack to get in there. There were very few players that kind of fit into that, which is why Trevor was kind of on our radar throughout the winter.”</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/11/22279016/dodgers-payroll-limits-trevor-bauer-justin-turner-andrew-friedmanEric Stephen2021-02-11T13:24:56-08:002021-02-11T13:24:56-08:00Sborz designated for assignment to make roster room for Bauer
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<img alt="MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers-Workouts" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QXA7MNwfVouXAkblO96CT2blRxw=/0x0:4788x3192/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68805994/usa_today_14520672.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Move makes roster room for Trevor Bauer</p> <p id="dgqpw9">The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> designated pitcher Josh Sborz for assignment on Thursday, making room on the 40-man roster for Trevor Bauer, whose <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/5/22242010/trevor-bauer-reportedly-signs-with-dodgers">three-year, $102 million contract was made official</a>.</p>
<p id="qaPBfV">Sborz allowed a run on two hits in 4⅓ innings last year, appearing in four games in relief for the Dodgers, with two strikeouts and a walk.</p>
<p id="4hdADS">The Dodgers drafted Sborz in the second round in 2015 out of Virginia, after the right-hander was the Most Outstanding Player at the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-world-series">College World Series</a> that season. In parts of two major league seasons, Sborz has a 6.08 ERA and 5.91 FIP in 11 games, all in relief, with nine strikeouts and five walks in 13⅓ innings.</p>
<p id="t3lSOQ">After Thursday’s moves, the Dodgers have 24 pitchers and 16 position players on the 40-man roster.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/11/22278309/josh-sborz-dfa-dodgers-trevor-bauer-contractEric Stephen2021-02-07T18:04:07-08:002021-02-07T18:04:07-08:00Podcast: Trevor time & everything that comes with it
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<figcaption><em>From </em><a class="ql-link" href="https://youtu.be/KT7nUBwzOBM" target="_blank"><em>Trevor Bauer on YouTube</em></a></figcaption>
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<p>The Dodgers give Trevor Bauer a record contract</p> <p id="dMS258">The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> made a huge splash in free agency <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/5/22242010/trevor-bauer-reportedly-signs-with-dodgers">by signing Trevor Bauer</a>, and we go over all that comes with it, including the sticker shock of the first two years’ salaries, <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/5/22268827/trevor-bauer-contract-dodgers-competitive-balance-tax">competitive balance tax implications</a>, what the Dodgers are <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/6/22269097/trevor-bauer-dodgers-reaction">actually getting in Bauer the pitcher</a>, and the reasons many are not pleased with the deal.</p>
<p id="nW6IgU">We also made <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl">Super Bowl</a> predictions, so you could laugh at how wrong we are while watching the game.</p>
<div id="b8Oz7l"><iframe src="https://player.megaphone.fm/VMP7935238824" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 200px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="5IJ4cB">Please send all of your questions to tblapodcast@gmail.com, or tweet us at <a href="https://twitter.com/ericstephen">@ericstephen</a> or <a href="http://www.twitter.com/jacobburch">@jacobburch</a>. Kudos to producer extraordinaire Brian Salvatore for his work behind the scenes.</p>
<h3 id="0K4gSj">Dodgers rewind</h3>
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<figcaption>Tim Belcher got the coveted Topps “All-Star Rookie” trophy on his 1989 baseball card.</figcaption>
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<p id="kRiJYf">This week we look back at Tim Belcher, one of <a href="http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/myla7">four No. 1 overall draft picks to play for the Dodgers</a> (if and when David Price pitches in 2021, he’ll be the fifth), and a key part of the Dodgers rotation during their 1988 championship run, as a rookie.</p>
<p id="t90j3R">Belcher pitched four years (and part of a fifth) for the Dodgers, and was traded along with John Wetteland to the Reds for Eric Davis and Kip Gross. Belcher won 146 games in 14 major league seasons, pitching for seven teams.</p>
<p id="X1uugo">The Dodgers got Belcher from the A’s in September 1987 as the player to be named later in a trade for Rick Honeycutt. But how he got to the A’s three years earlier was even more fascinating to me, from unsigned No. 1 overall pick by the Twins in 1983 to unprotected by the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> because of a procedural quirk in the free agent compensation draft in 1984.</p>
<h3 id="5tap9s">Podcast links</h3>
<p id="BpBweR"><a href="https://feeds.megaphone.fm/true-blue-la">RSS feed</a></p>
<p id="tWc86y"><a href="https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/true-blue-la?selected=VMP7935238824">Episode link</a> (time: 1:24:49)</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/7/22270054/dodgers-podcast-trevor-bauer-contractEric StephenJacob Burch2021-02-06T05:24:00-08:002021-02-06T05:24:00-08:00Trevor Bauer ‘fits perfectly with what the Dodgers are doing’
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<img alt="Cleveland Indians v Los Angeles Dodgers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Z6QyCU8P7vvYlK_dU69PhwLECmk=/0x0:3160x2107/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68779409/451623234.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Reaction to the Cy Young Award winner’s reported three-year deal with LA</p> <p id="SzAKbB">Trevor Bauer picked the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a>, signing a reported three-year, $102 million contract that will pay him $85 million in the first two seasons, with opt-outs after both 2021 and 2022.</p>
<p id="6zTibb">As you might imagine, that deal was the talk of baseball on Friday, aside from <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/5/22268827/trevor-bauer-contract-dodgers-competitive-balance-tax">how it affects the Dodgers in relation to the competitive balance tax</a>.</p>
<p id="ZeAuyU">Blake Treinen was <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetworkRadio/status/1357812706082979843">a guest Friday on MLB Network Radio</a>, and praised the Dodgers organization as having a mix of “traditional baseball insight” and “new-age analytics,” and thought Bauer would be a good fit in Los Angeles.</p>
<p id="pJZz5f">“I’m pumped,” Treinen said. “The way he approaches the game, on a mental aspect, developing pitches aspect, because that fits perfectly with what the Dodgers are doing. I got to see a piece of that last year, which helped me to get back in some form to how I wanted to be as a pitcher.”</p>
<h3 id="p4MddU">Links & notes</h3>
<ul>
<li id="isqLnN">Because Bauer declined a qualifying offer from Cincinnati, the Dodgers will forfeit their second-round pick in the 2021 draft, and have $500,000 deducted from their signing bonus pool for the 2022 international signing bonus period. </li>
<li id="Hujvxp">The Dodgers weren’t desperate to sign Bauer, but they pounced on the opportunity, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2021-02-05/dodgers-desperate-trevor-bauer-opportunity-sign-mlb">write Jorge Castillo and Jack Harris at the Los Angeles Times</a>.</li>
<li id="Ga6XUM">Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2021/02/05/dodgers-and-trevor-bauer-reigning-nl-cy-young-winner-agree-to-deal/">pointed out that Bauer joins a Dodgers staff that in 2020</a> “ranked first in WHIP and second in ERA, opponent’s batting average and opponent’s OPS.”</li>
<li id="q9SYUp">Pedro Moura at The Athletic <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F2370891%2F2021%2F02%2F05%2Fdodgers-trevor-bauer-contract%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.truebluela.com%2F2021%2F2%2F6%2F22269097%2Ftrevor-bauer-dodgers-reaction" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">cataloged Bauer’s on-field work and online bullying</a>: “Evidently, the Dodgers decided that his pitching potential outweighs the risk that he will behave that way while in their organization.”</li>
<li id="bA5kYD">Tim Brown <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/report-trevor-bauer-signs-with-dodgers-spurning-mets-195856255.html">at Yahoo Sports</a>: “A common opinion in Bauer’s free agency was that teams would balance Bauer’s big fastball against Bauer’s big mouth, Bauer’s killer slider against Bauer’s commitment to chasing down social media trolls, Bauer’s tight curveball against Bauer’s loose regard for a world beyond that of his own making. That may or may not have been true.”</li>
<li id="oKE2dZ">Among the notes in <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F2370899%2F2021%2F02%2F05%2Frosenthal-in-a-surprise-dodgers-sign-bauer-now-well-see-how-the-story-unfolds%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.truebluela.com%2F2021%2F2%2F6%2F22269097%2Ftrevor-bauer-dodgers-reaction" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ken Rosenthal’s column at The Athletic</a>: “Only 24 hours before, the Dodgers had thought they were out on Bauer, and that the Mets indeed were close to landing him.”</li>
<li id="Jo2fVZ">Alden Gonzalez at ESPN <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/30794677/champs-dodgers-add-bauer-send-message-mlb">offered his perception of the Dodgers with this move</a>: “There’s us, and then there’s everybody else.”</li>
<li id="4J4WBq">The Dodgers in Bauer have landed the best free agent pitcher on the market, and everything that comes with him, <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2021/2/5/22269056/dodgers-trevor-bauer-signing">writes Michael Baumann at The Ringer</a>.</li>
<li id="X22SJk">Mike Petriello at MLB.com <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/greatest-tight-races-in-mlb-history">wonders if Dodgers vs. Padres this year can be the best divisional race ever</a>.</li>
<li id="3brD3W">Eric Sondheimer talked to two of Bauer’s formal prep coaches, both local. <a href="https://twitter.com/latsondheimer/status/1357783851762733057">Hart High School’s Jim Ozella</a>: “He has the best of both worlds, a great contract and playing with the defending World Champions. I’d say his personality fits perfectly in Los Angeles. He’s gregarious, outgoing, very intelligent, a hard-working guy. He’s a social media guy.”</li>
<li id="cztuwY">From <a href="https://www.bruinsnation.com">UCLA</a> coach John Savage, <a href="https://twitter.com/latsondheimer/status/1357784766565609474">again per Sondheimer</a>: “I think it’s great that he gets to come home and play for one of the most storied franchises in the history of the game. The UCLA baseball program is very excited for Trevor and his family and we look forward to watching him as a Dodger.”</li>
<li id="DNTw5f">Bauer’s four-seam fastball was, by batted-ball metrics, a below average pitch in his career through 2019, but in 2020 it was one of the best pitches in baseball. Ben Clemens <a href="https://blogs.fangraphs.com/dodgers-sign-trevor-bauer-to-three-year-deal/">examines at FanGraphs</a>.</li>
<li id="kTwqd0">Bauer joins Roger Clemens 22 years ago as reigning Cy Young Award winners to join the reigning <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> winners, <a href="https://twitter.com/SlangsOnSports/status/1357783272877613060">per Sarah Langs of MLB.com</a>.</li>
<li id="1FSFXR">Bauer tops the list of highest-paid MLB players in 2021, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/highest-paid-baseball-players-in-2021">per Langs and Matt Kelly at MLB.com</a>.</li>
<li id="2uwRzG">Bill Plaschke at the LA Times is <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2021-02-05/adding-trevor-bauer-to-stacked-dodgers-roster-is-unfair">excited to the point of hyperbole about the Dodgers adding Bauer</a>.</li>
</ul>
https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/6/22269097/trevor-bauer-dodgers-reactionEric Stephen2021-02-05T13:52:49-08:002021-02-05T13:52:49-08:00Bauer contract pushes Dodgers into upper tier of luxury tax
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<img alt="Divisional Series - Washington Nationals v Los Angeles Dodgers - Game One" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/y5t9DC6LHfJ1iwUADIMGSYUmt8E=/0x0:5366x3577/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68777388/1178856228.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Harry How/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>A look at where the Dodgers 2021 payroll stands after Bauer’s reported contract</p> <p id="rhZCnI">The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> got their man, and after seeing the contract you can see why Trevor Bauer <a href="https://youtu.be/KT7nUBwzOBM">said in his announcement video</a>, “I can’t wait, Dodgers fans.”</p>
<p id="hrQoy5">Bauer’s <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/5/22242010/trevor-bauer-reportedly-signs-with-dodgers">contract is three years, $102 million</a>, per multiple reports. The $34 million average annual value trails Gerrit Cole ($36 million) and Stephen Strasburg ($35 million), but given how front-loaded the deal is, Bauer will be the highest-paid player in the sport in each of the next two seasons.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trevor Bauer gets $102M for 3 years from Dodgers, per source. He has opt outs after each of the first two years; $40M in 2021, $45M in 2022. He'll be the highest-paid player in MLB history in '21, then again in '22. Good job by <a href="https://twitter.com/AgentRachelLuba?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AgentRachelLuba</a> & Jon Fetterolf of @zssports_law.</p>— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) <a href="https://twitter.com/Feinsand/status/1357782339590512644?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2021</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trevor Bauer's three-year deal with the Dodgers is for $102 million guaranteed -- and for $40 million in 2021 and $45 million in 2022. He can opt out after each year, meaning he'll make $40M if he opts out this year, $85M if he does so after 2022 and $102M if he stays all three.</p>— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1357782745087434752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2021</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bauer deal with Dodgers, per <a href="https://twitter.com/Feinsand?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Feinsand</a>: $102M for three years, with opt outs after first and second year. Salaries: $40M in first year, $45M in second.</p>— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1357784216008855552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2021</a>
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<p id="cDHRLH">Bauer has flexibility in the form of two reported opt-outs, one after the 2021 season, and another after 2022.</p>
<p id="RfW2rH">For the Dodgers, this <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2020/12/29/22203282/tommy-kahnle-contract-dodgers-competitive-balance-tax">pushes them into the competitive balance tax stratosphere</a> even before they decide who plays third base for them. With Bauer there are 19 Dodgers under contract for 2021, including Walker Buehler and Austin Barnes, who have salary arbitration hearings pending this month. Counting the midpoint of <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/1/15/22223035/walker-buehler-austin-barnes-salary-arbitration-exchange-numbers-dodgers">Buehler and Barnes’ exchanged figures</a>, plus assumptions for filling out the 26-man roster, the Dodgers payroll for competitive balance tax purposes is roughly $238.5 million.</p>
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<p id="IOEKKh">(Don’t get caught up in the positions here. I just filled out the roster given what’s available at the moment.)</p>
<p id="nZK5MZ">The CBT threshold this season is $210 million. The Dodgers as “first-time payers,” having not paid competitive balance tax since 2017, though they would have gone over the threshold last year had David Price not opted out of the season.</p>
<p id="Mlvv7j">They are taxed at 20 percent of the first $20 million over $210 million. For the next $20 million over $230 million, the Dodgers would pay 32 percent. Anything over $250 million would be taxed at 62.5 percent, and the Dodgers would see their first draft pick in 2022 drop 10 slots.</p>
<p id="eZ6MT6">If they stay at the current $238.5 million, without adding anyone else, that would incur a tax of $6.72 million ($4 million for the first $20 million over, then $2.72 million for the amount above $230 million). But given likely additions either before or during the season, plus some achievable performances bonuses, it could go even higher (if they don’t trade others away).</p>
<p id="qjKAvP">This puts the Dodgers back into a perch atop MLB in payroll, where they stood from 2013-17, the first five years of the Guggenheim Partners ownership group. For those years <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2017/12/20/16799688/dodgers-luxury-tax-bill-2017-payroll">they averaged a $264 million payroll and paid $150 million in competitive balance tax</a>.</p>
<p id="R3zpdZ">The Dodgers will need to make another 40-man roster move to officially add Bauer, and likely for <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/1/22261112/justin-turner-watch-dodgers">eventually adding Justin Turner</a> or some other third baseman as well. Perhaps those roster-clearing moves will shed some payroll, but it’s clear the Dodgers’ payroll will be massive in 2021.</p>
<p id="PRbIXV"><em>For the players</em>, at least. The Dodgers <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2020/11/19/21574350/dodgers-layoffs-employees-coronavirus">were one of a number of major league teams to lay off several employees this offseason</a>. “The ongoing economic crisis, however, forces us to make difficult personnel decisions throughout the organization, going forward for the 2021 season,” the team said in November. “This is a heartbreaking decision. This year, more than ever, we are truly grateful for the role each member of our Dodgers family plays in our success.”</p>
<p id="OH38Y2">Those affected members of the “Dodgers family” will have to watch from afar now.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/5/22268827/trevor-bauer-contract-dodgers-competitive-balance-taxEric Stephen2021-02-05T11:50:21-08:002021-02-05T11:50:21-08:00Trevor Bauer signs with Dodgers
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<img alt="National League Wild Card Game 1: Cincinnati Reds v. Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CNvBys-qy32VX7UVOI2tXToYhlE=/0x0:2482x1655/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68776569/1228808750.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Adam Hagy/MLB Photos via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Dodgers add the 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner to their starting rotation </p> <p id="Lhrb7y">The wait is finally over....</p>
<p id="jIt42T">After a somewhat quiet offseason from the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> champions, the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> made one of the biggest free-agency splashes we’ve seen, as they have signed starting pitcher Trevor Bauer.</p>
<div id="6Xxvp6"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KT7nUBwzOBM?rel=0" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media; accelerometer; clipboard-write; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe></div></div>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trevor Bauer's three-year deal with the Dodgers is for $102 million guaranteed -- and for $40 million in 2021 and $45 million in 2022. He can opt out after each year, meaning he'll make $40M if he opts out this year, $85M if he does so after 2022 and $102M if he stays all three.</p>— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1357782745087434752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2021</a>
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<p id="dVwjBs">Bauer, who recently turned 30 years old, won the National League Cy Young Award in 2020. Say what you want about the shortened season, but there was no denying he was one of the best pitchers in the NL. He was first in the league in ERA (1.73), WHIP (0.795) and shutouts (2). He was second in strikeouts with 100 and was second in SO/9 at 12.3. In addition, his strikeout percentage of 36% and K-BB% of 29.9 were also second in the NL, respectively. </p>
<p id="TnSuBd">He really dominated during the final month of the season, winning the Pitcher of the Month award for September. Bauer made five starts, averaging seven innings an outing with an ERA of 1.29. Opponents hit .175 off him, and he struck out 46 compared to only six walks.</p>
<aside id="VGwR1z"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Trevor Bauer’s contract and the Dodgers’ luxury tax","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/5/22268827/trevor-bauer-contract-dodgers-competitive-balance-tax"}]}'></div></aside><p id="IcoZoY">Bauer saved his best game of the year for the postseason, as he was essentially untouchable against the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a>. In Game 1 of the NLWCS, Bauer threw 7 <sup>2</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings of shutout baseball while allowing only two hits. He struck out 12 and issued zero walks. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as the Reds fell to the Braves. </p>
<p id="EkYHMO">He has plenty of postseason experience, as he played in October three times while with the Indians. In 33 <sup>2</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> career innings in the playoffs, Bauer owns a 2.94 ERA and had 44 strikeouts with only eight walks. Over his last 20 <sup>2</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings pitched in October, his ERA is only 1.31 while opponents have hit .190 off him. </p>
<p id="WWzWi5">Bauer is a local kid, as he was born in North Hollywood. He attended Hart High School in Santa Clarita, which is only 30 miles from Dodger Stadium. He then played collegiate ball at <a href="https://www.bruinsnation.com">UCLA</a>. In 2011, he was named the <a href="https://www.pacifictakes.com">Pac-12</a> Conference Pitcher of the Year and was also named to the All-Pac-12 First Team. </p>
<p id="tmTeUo">During his final season at UCLA, Bauer went 13–2 with a 1.25 ERA in 16 starts. He set a nation-leading and Pac-12 single-season record with 203 strikeouts. Bauer dominated to close out the season, throwing nine consecutive complete games while establishing new records at UCLA, with 460 career strikeouts, 34 wins, and 373 <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings. Bauer won the Golden Spikes Award, which goes to the top player in the country. </p>
<p id="ebDIrC">With the addition of Bauer, the Dodgers now have three former Cy Young Award winners in their starting rotation. Clayton Kershaw is a three-time winner, having won in 2011, 2013 and 2014. David Price won in 2012. </p>
<p id="NIBqAx">After seeing what the Padres did this offseason with their starting rotation, Andrew Friedman countered by picking up the best starting pitcher available on the market. If all goes right, the Dodgers will begin 2021 with a starting rotation of Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Trevor Bauer, David Price and Julio Urias. Not to mention, you have Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May as well. </p>
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https://www.truebluela.com/2021/2/5/22242010/trevor-bauer-reportedly-signs-with-dodgersBlake Harris