It's official: Dodgers ink deal with powerhouse pitcher Trevor Bauer
LOS ANGELES - National League Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer has officially signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team announced Thursday. Bauer signed a 3-year deal worth $102 million with the defending World Series champions.
Bauer, a Major League Baseball all-star, made the announcement in a YouTube video last week, saying that he's excited for his next chapter.
"Last season doesn’t matter anymore. Come April, what matter is this team, this group of players, this group of fans, and the name across our chest," he said in the video. "This season is about making sure history remembers us as we wish to be remembered. This season is about adding to our legacy."
Bauer is no stranger to Southern California. He was born in North Hollywood, attended high school Hart High School in Santa Clarita, and played college baseball at UCLA. While at UCLA, he won the Golden Spikes Award.
(Getty Images)
He joins the Los Angeles Dodgers after playing for the Cincinnati Reds. Bauer was drafted to the major leagues in 2012 and also played for Cleveland and Arizona.
On Wednesday, Bauer said he already loves the fans of Dodger Nation, but requested that fans continue to respect his privacy.
The right-handed free agent also was negotiating with the New York Mets.
With Bauer, the defending 2020 World Series champions add another high-caliber pitcher to the roster.
The Dodgers rotation had a major league-best 3.02 ERA during the abbreviated 60-game season last year, when the franchise won its first championship since 1988.
He will slot in among ace Walker Buehler, three-time NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw and 2012 AL Cy Young winner David Price, who opted out last season because of the pandemic.
Bauer is 75-64 with a 3.90 ERA in nine major league seasons that included a career-best 17-9 with a 4.19 ERA for Cleveland in 2017. He was an All-Star the following year, going 12-6 with a 2.21 ERA.
Bauer was 5-4 in his second season with Cincinnati and his 1.73 ERA was second in the major leagues among qualified pitchers behind only Cleveland’s Shane Bieber at 1.63. Bauer earned $6,481,481 in prorated pay from a $17.5 million salary.
Los Angeles’ other offseason moves include re-signing reliever Blake Treinen to a $17.5 million, two-year contract, and agreeing to a $4.75 million, two-year deal with reliever Tommy Kahnle, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery in August.
Because Bauer turned down an $18.9 million qualifying offer, Los Angeles will forfeit its second-highest pick in the July amateur draft and $500,000 of international signing bonus allocation.
Cincinnati will receive an extra draft pick after competitive balance round B, approximately No. 60, as compensation.
The Associated Press contributed.
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