The Los Angeles Dodgers made arguably the biggest splash of the offseason just before the start of Spring Training, signing reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer to a three-year contract.
The addition of Bauer gives the Dodgers one of the best rotations of the last decade as he joins Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, David Price and Julio Urias, with Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin also serving as depth.
While Bauer is a polarizing figure, Buehler has a previous relationship with him and was among those to advocate for his signing. “I had conversations with him previously, knew that he had always been interested in coming here, and obviously didn’t want to dissuade him from that in any way,” Buehler explained.
“Texted him a little bit throughout his free agency to say, ‘Hey, what’s the deal? What’s going on? Are you coming here?’ I had conversations here and there with some front office guys, just about what I knew about him.
“Obviously this stuff is kind of above my pay grade, but we’re glad it worked out. I’m glad he’s here, and now it’s about coming together as a unit, figuring out the best way to win a bunch of games.”
Bauer hasn’t always had the best reputation as far as being a good teammate, but so far it seems that he is getting along with everyone on the Dodgers, and the rest of the team is happy to have him on board.
Buehler benefitting from change in offseason routine
Buehler recently revealed this past offseason was a bit different for him compared to years passed. Coming off the shortened 60-game season, Buehler did not take a break from throwing, so he is ahead of schedule at the beginning of Spring Training.
Buehler also added he believes blister issues from 2020 are behind him, although it is still something that will have to be monitored moving forward.
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