LA Angels: Did the Halos ever have a chance to sign Trevor Bauer?

We felt things were heading in this direction, and now the Angels can officially remove their name from the Trevor Bauer sweepstakes. The Dodgers and Bauer have agreed to a three-year, $102 million deal.

The contract will mark the highest single-season salary for any player in the history of Major League Baseball.

Bauer will make $40 million this season, $45 million in 2022, and $17 million in the final year of his deal. There are also player-opt outs for each of the first two seasons.

Despite the rumors, the final price of Trevor Bauer and the Angels low-risk approach show the Halos never stood a chance.

Were the Halos ever a favorite as some fans wanted to believe? I don’t think so.

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In Bauer’s “Lebron James-Decision” video, there are uniforms for the different teams involved in the offseason rumors. The Dodgers, Mets, and Blue Jays were among the teams involved. Absent from the video was any Angels gear.

I don’t think this is a coincidence, and I’m sure general manager Perry Minasian pulled back from negotiations a long time ago when Bauer and his gent Rachel Luba drove up the asking price.

The signing serves as a friendly reminder that teams like the Dodgers are willing to do whatever it takes to win, even coming off a World Series championship.

The Angels have made the playoffs once in the past 11 seasons, and their one-year rental additions shows they are playing it safe for 2021.

Did the Halos need to pay Bauer $40+ million a year? I don’t think so, and I’m not sure any player is worth that type of financial investment. The point is, the Dodgers are willing to risk whatever it takes to sustain a potential dynasty.

Those same types of risks have been available via trades for players like Yu Darvish and Blake Snell, yet the Angels have still passed and settled for less. There’s still time left to make something happen, but I’m not sure Miniasian and owner Arte Moreno are willing to risk anything at the moment.

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The front office could wait until seeing how this current group of players does this season. If they show signs of being a contender, then there is definitely a reason to make significant additions.

Time is ticking, and I think the Halos can only wait so long before their window of opportunity closes.