Angels: 3 reasons why Trevor Bauer is perfect for LA

Trevor Bauer figures to be the biggest name on the free agent market and while he may have teased at signing with a team in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPB), in all likelihood, he will be staying stateside. There has never been a clearer fit for the Angels than Trevor Bauer for a variety of reasons, the most prominent amongst them being that Orange County is good for Trevor Bauer.

While Trevor Bauer might be a more outspoken athlete than Angels fans are used to, his liveliness and competitive fire could be just what the Angels’ clubhouse needs. On a team of silent leaders like Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, Trevor Bauer might not be a seamless fit, but he could be an acquired taste. His on-field pitching performance is what matters most and Bauer leaves nothing to be desired as he posted a 1.73 ERA in 2020 across 73 innings pitched. While his first go of things with the Cincinnati Reds was not the best, he more than made up for it in 2020. Bauer has been quite overrated prior to his excellent 2.21 ERA season in 2018, but it appears his Driveline Baseball boys have gotten him on track just in time for free agency bidding.

Bauer attended UCLA so he is something of a local boy and chances are, he would welcome the opportunity to get closer to Hollywood with his media ambitions in the works. He has also mentioned a willingness to take short-term deals, betting with a friend that he would only sign one-year deals for the entirety of his career. That would work perfectly for the Halos who will likely be interested in a short-term commitment with a high average annual value. He can also grow his brand playing with Japan’s brightest star in Shohei Ohtani and America’s biggest baseball star in Mike Trout.

Let’s take a look at the three reasons why Trevor Bauer needs the Halos just as much as they need him.