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Trevor Bauer already had a 1.73 best National League average to show as he hits free agency. Now he also has an NL Cy Young Award to go with him – just like the Reds, for the first time in franchise history.
And although the 29-year-old said after receiving the award on Wednesday night that he hadn’t given much thought to free agency, many others have – including the Mets’ new front office.
Team president Sandy Alderson said he thought Bauer “would be a great personality in New York. [He’s] the kind of guy fans would approve of. We are in the entertainment business. “
The comments, made in an interview with WFAN on Tuesday, resonated with Bauer, who is known for his outspoken personality and expressiveness on Twitter.
“It was refreshing to hear him talk that way about me,” Bauer said. “I think in the past a lot of the narrative around me is that I couldn’t handle a big media market, [that] I was a headache. Hearing someone as high up as Sandy feels what he feels about it is refreshing.
Bauer rejected the Reds’ $ 18.9 million qualifying offer and said he has spoken to some teams since hitting free agency, the first pitcher to win the Cy Young and then hitting free agency since Roger Clemens in 2004. He added his agent, Rachel Luba, told him. there was no sign of a depressed market following the COVID-related financial problems the teams may be facing.
He is the first Reds pitcher to win the award – which was first awarded in 1956. The only other clubs not to have a Cy Young winner are the Rangers, Marlins and Rockies – although the latter two do. started playing only in 1993.
Bauer has acknowledged that playing in a large market might appeal to him, and that the Mets and Yankees could use it in their respective rotations, although it remains to be seen how the Mets approach free agency under new owner Steve Cohen. and the Yankees could watch. to stay below the luxury tax threshold of $ 210 million.
Another potential hurdle with Bauer and the Yankees is the presence of Gerrit Cole, Bauer’s former teammate at UCLA. The two had a difficult history together, although Bauer said it was behind them.
“We don’t have a lot of relationships,” Bauer said. “I would say he’s living his life and I’m living mine.” We don’t meet very much. It is certainly not the hateful relationship that a lot of people in the media believe or try to make believe. … We had our differences in college, but that was nine or 10 years ago. I am a different person now than I was then. I’m sure the same is true of him. At the end of the day, I want to win. I hate to lose. It drives me crazy. It was pretty obvious watching him pitch and looking at his playoff performances and how interested he was, that he felt the same.
Cole has just completed the first year of the nine-year, $ 324 million deal he signed last December.
“If I was given the opportunity to do that and play alongside him again, I’d be more than open to that,” said Bauer. “I want to win. I want to be happy doing this. I don’t think there’s anything between us, at least on my side. I can’t speak for Gerrit.
Bauer received 27 of the 30 first-place votes, with the remaining three going to the Cubs’ Yu Darvish. Jacob deGrom of the Mets, who won the previous two NL Cy Young, was third.
Indian ace Shane Bieber was the unanimous winner of the AL Award. He went 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 77 ¹ / ₃ innings during the pandemic-cut season, leading the majors in ERA and strikeouts, and tying Darvish for most of victories.
Twins right-hander Kenta Maeda finished second in the AL vote, followed by Blue Jays left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu.
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