Pigs Fly First Class

Up until yesterday, Andrew Friedman had been busy in this offseason, but had not made any “big deals.” Oh, I think Corey Knebel was a significant deal, but other deals were of the “Dollar General variety.” That all changed yesterday when out of almost nowhere, Friedman signed Trevor Bauer. In what is probably the best introduction video ever, Trevor introduces himself as a Dodger and proclaims that he “can’t wait” to play ball.

You never know what to believe, but we have been led to believe by certain “sources” that Trevor Bauer wanted to be Dodger. There’s a lot of information out there about that, but you can’t always believe what you see, let alone what you hear. However, that evidently was true. Trever turned down more money from the Mets to be a Dodger (although it was allegedly only about $3 Million). However, factor in California Taxes and he probably left $10 to $15 Million on the table. That ain’t chump change, but he wanted to be a Dodger!

It appeared all offseason that the Dodgers were again loathe to go over the LuxTax Threshold, but Andrew Friedman is a value shopper and when you can get a pitcher like Trevor Bauer for about half of what was projected at the start of the offseason, you evidently do it.

Let’s make no mistake, Trevor Bauer has not consistently been a Cy Young Winner, even though he was last year. Bauer has had two great years in his nine-year baseball career. In 2016 he was 12-6 with a 2.21 ERA and in a COVID-19 shortened season he was 5-4 with a 1.73 ERA. He has always had “filthy stuff” but as a “Driveline Devotee,” it appears that he really “got it” last season as his spin rate went up 400 RPM, which is almost unheard of. Lots of pitchers use a substance to get a better grip on the baseball and MLB has looked away. Early last year, Trevor said this:

“Probably like 70%” of all pitchers apply sticky pine tar to the ball. “It affects every single pitch. And it’s a bigger advantage than steroids ever were. If you know how to manipulate it, you can make the ball do drastically different things from pitch to pitch at the same velocity,”

Here’s the interview:

It appears to me that Trevor decided to join them… at least that is my take. It’s my opinion, but it is an informed opinion. How does spin rate suddenly go up 400 RPM without something physical on your fingers? If MLB cracks down on this like they are planning to do, can Bauer keep his spin-rate up? No, he has not been an Ace much in his career, but he was last year and it was all tied to his spin rate. Let’s hope he can keep it up. I am sure that AF has considered that too and in fact, has a lot more knowledge of it than me.

Trevor just turned 30 years old, so a one to three-year deal feels pretty safe. He can opt-out each year if he chooses. I seriously doubt that will happen. Trevor Bauer has been described as “one of the most outspoken and unique athletes in sports… His unorthodox approach to pitching has labeled him an outcast of sorts, but the non-conformist is now considered one of the intellectual misfits who is at the forefront of changing the game.“

Again, Andrew Friedman has considered all this and believe that Trevor will not cause a problem. “Trevor Bauer says he’s good at two things – throwing a baseball and (ticking) people off.” Or as Bauer explains: “I decided that as long as I can look in a mirror, and I like what I see looking back at me, as long as I can be proud of that, then I really don’t care what other people think.” He’s a guy you might hate when he is on the other team but may love when he is on your team.

I thought that the only way the Dodgers would go over the LuxTax Threshold was to re-sign Justin Turner, now I wonder if Justin Turner is even part of the plan. Yes, he could be back, or AF could decide to go another direction. A young arm like Dustin May and a player like Keibert Ruiz might just pry Matt Chapman from the A’s.

Chris Bryant and Eugenio Suarez could also be on the radar. The Dodgers now have a plethora of starters and while many of you think David Price is the obvious pitcher to trade, I doubt you could get much in return for him – it would just be a “salary dump“.

I don’t think AF is finished – in fact, he may have just gotten started and JT could also be back. Still, when Andrew Friedman was talking about being “pigs” he was talking about winning championships. The how is the question. The stars aligned so that he could go over the cap this year and get back under next year when the penalty becomes more severe… and when Hoese, Busch, Amaya, Gray and other have more experience and to me this signals that 2021 is Clayton’s last year.

Clayton Kershaw had a distant, strained relationship with his late father, and knowing what kind of man he is with two young children, I think he wants to be the linchpin in their life. 2021 is Clayton’s 14th year in MLB and he will be 34 in 2022. I think $30 million comes off the books in 2022 as Clayton rides off into the sunset. In the meantime, maybe Trevor can teach him how to add 400 RPM to his spin rate and win one last Cy Young!

Now, we wait again!