Former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer will joining the Los Angeles Dodgers to the tune of $102 million for a three year deal. Here is the former Reds pitcher jubilant after striking out Milwaukee Brewers hitter Christian Yelich on Sep 23, 2020 in Cincinnati (AP News file photo)

Trevor Bauer to the Dodgers – A Rolls Royce Rotation-

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Trevor Bauer, the Cy Young Award winner last year in the National League with the Cincinnati Reds is signing a $102 million 3-year contract with the World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Bauer is slated to make $40 million this season, $45 million in 2022 and $17 million in 2023, with an opt-out in season’s one and two.

The New York Mets were the front-runners to acquire the Southern California native and free agent, until Bauer himself (a social media junkie) announced the news himself on YouTube. With this contract, he is the player in MLB with the biggest salary this 2021 and 2022 season.

Trevor Bauer is now joining a rotation with Clayton Kershaw, Walter Buehler, David Price and Dustin May, three of those are Cy Young winners. Since he (Bauer) has said he wants to start every fourth day, young and very talented Julio Urias would be their fifth starter, only if the Dodgers agree to go with a five-man rotation. This makes the LA Dodgers a Rolls Royce Rotation in baseball after acquiring the biggest Free Agent in the market.

During the abbreviated 2020 season of 60 games, Trevor Bauer ended with a record of 5-4 and 1.73 in 11 games he started, struck-out 100 and walked 17 all in a total of 73 innings of work. Those numbers won him the National League Cy Young.

The 30-year old Bauer is a self promoter, controversial because he seems to live his life on social media, as previously mentioned, he announced this mega deal himself over a YouTube video. His career numbers: In nine years, 75-64, 3.90 ERA, 1,189 innings pitched, 1,270 strike-outs and 454 bases on balls. Bauer pitched in 205 games and started 195.

Born in North Hollywood, California, he has previously said he would love to pitch in Southern California. It was rumored that the Los Angeles Angels was the perfect fit for him, because that team is in serious need of starting pitching.

The New York Mets were in the running for him until today, and it was reported the Mets gave Bauer a 12 noon deadline to make a decision. That deadline passed in New York, and then he announced that he will be wearing Dodger Blue.

Even before the Dodgers signed Trevor Bauer and with the busy winter of their rivals San Diego Padres, the Dodgers were the favorites to win the World Series for the second year in a row. This makes them even more of a favorite.

Trevor Bauer who in 2020 won the National League Cy Young with the Cincinnati Reds is the second pitcher in history to join a World Series Champion team right after winning that award. Roger Clemens who won the 1998 Cy Young pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays, joined the World Champion New York Yankees the next year in 1999.

The first two years of the three-year deal for the right-handed pitcher with the Dodgers totals $85 million, that is $20 million more that the total payroll currently (the whole team) prior to the 2021 season of the Oakland Athletics, and also higher than another half dozen teams in Major League Baseball.

Great Rotations: Only two teams in history had a rotation of four (4) 20-game winners in a season. The 1920 Chicago White Sox; Red Faber, Lefty Williams, Eddie Cicotte and Dickie Kerr and the one some of us remember, the 1971 Baltimore Orioles; Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Miguel (Mike) Cuellar and Pat Dobson. Because today’s pitching is not structured for starters to go all the way, it’s very close to a certainty we will never see this again.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer for the Oakland A’s Spanish radio flagship 1010 KIQI Le Grande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com