The One-Year Wonder
Trevor Bauer’s willingness to sign solely one-year deals for the rest of his career has been well-documented and while it is a bit unorthodox, so is Bauer as a person.
The Angels have long given enormous contracts that don’t age well, so why not a change of pace? Trevor Bauer represents that in every way. If the Angels decided to get stupid in a good way and offer Bauer a one-year, $35 million deal, the Angels would likely be in the thick of the AL West divisional race despite being up against luxury tax penalties. However, if it is the price of admission to October, you have to pay it, right?
It’s wild how much deeper the Angels’ rotation gets with one simple addition of Bauer’s caliber. In a six-man rotation to suit Shohei Ohtani’s schedule, depth is a necessity. Being able to make Andrew Heaney your fourth-best starting pitcher is a huge boon for exactly that reason.
The contract flexibility is one that will suit both parties and while a lot of MLB teams will likely be lining up to acquire Bauer, the Angels might be amongst the most well-positioned in the sport to actually land him.