Over the course of the years the Los Angeles Dodgers have consistently had some of the best players in the league, especially in recent years when they’ve won seven consecutive National League West titles.
In addition to having one of the best ownership groups, coaching staffs, front offices and players development departments in all of baseball, the Dodgers also have the luxury of playing in beautiful Southern California, which naturally draws players to their organization.
It appears the next Major League Baseball star already has his sights on playing for the Dodgers, as Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer said in a Q&A with fans on his YouTube page that he would like to play for them someday:
“I look forward to playing for the Dodgers one day. I grew up out in Valencia, so I would love to come home.”
As Bauer alluded too, he grew up in Valencia, attending Hart High School and then UCLA before being drafted third overall in 2011, so it is not surprising to hear that he wants to eventually return home to consistently play in front of friends and family.
Bauer is one of the more interesting players in baseball, never afraid to speak his mind and do what’s best for him. He is set to hit free agency for the first time next winter, so could be an option for the Dodgers sooner rather than later.
Bauer has said on multiple occasions that he plans to sign one-year contracts for his entire career, meaning L.A. could have the opportunity to sign him many times if they do not land him this winter.
The 2020 season will be a big one for Bauer as far as setting his market value as he has had mixed results in the past couple of seasons. The 29-year-old was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball in 2018, going 12-6 with a 2.21 ERA, 2.44 FIP and 1.09 WHIP with 221 strikeouts and 57 walks in 175.1 innings across 28 games (27 starts).
He took a bit of a step back in 2019, going 11-13 with a 4.48 ERA, 4.34 FIP and 1.25 WHIP with 253 strikeouts and 82 walks in 213 innings across 34 starts with the Cleveland Indians and Reds.
In addition to saying he’d like to play for the Dodgers, Bauer also set a goal of winning three Cy Young Awards in his career during the Q&A, also saying he wants a chance to win the Japanese Cy Young Award as well.
It seems that Bauer has his career all figured out, so it will be interesting to see if he ends up playing for his hometown Dodgers at some point, although they may be focused elsewhere this offseason with Mookie Betts hitting free agency as well.
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