Are the New York Yankees Desperate Enough to Call Trevor Bauer?
The following statements are facts.
1) The New York Yankees are in a tough situation. Armed with World Series expectations after acquiring Juan Soto this offseason, the team is now set to be without reigning Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole for the first 1-2 months of the season, and there are fears it could be longer.
2) Former Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer is still a free agent, and is practically begging for another opportunity in Major League Baseball.
While those are facts, the following is a question: Because of those expectations and Cole's injury, are the Yankees desperate enough to call Bauer?
On the surface, it's an easy call. Bauer is still just 33 years old, has won double-digit games five times in his career, and is a former Cy Young winner. He's also willing to play for extremely cheap, which would be appealing to a Yankees team worried about luxury tax implications. He also just recently pitched against a group of Dodgers' minor leaguers, and still appears to have his skill.
But with Bauer, you have to go much deeper than the surface. He was suspended in 2021 because of sexual assault allegations and ended up serving a 194-game suspension. He had his contract by the Dodgers terminated and spent 2023 pitching in Japan. Bauer settled one lawsuit, without any money changing hands, and has never been charged with a crime. Despite that, teams undoubtedly will take a public relations hit for bringing Bauer in, and there will be fan backlash.
The question is, are the Yankees desperate enough to make the call?
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