Is This Dodgers Team Better Than Last Season’s World Champions??
So the best team in all of baseball just got BETTER!!!
To a starting rotation that already included two Cy Young Award winners – Clayton Kershaw and David Price – the Dodgers added a third – Trevor Bauer.
And don’t overlook Walker Buehler, who will probably join that elite fraternity in the very near future.
Best Ever In Baseball!
This quartet could perhaps become the best rotation in major league history.
That honor currently belongs to the 1971 Baltimore Orioles.
Dave McNally: 21-5, 2.89 ERA.
Pat Dobson: 20-8, 2.90 ERA
Hall of Famer Jim Palmer: 20-9, 2.68 ERA
And Mike Cuellar: 20-9, 3.08 ERA.
Their winning percentage? .726. The rotations ERA? 2.89.
But Baltimore wasn’t the first major league team with four 20 game winners in their starting rotation.
The Roarin’ 20’s
Turn the calendar back to 1920.
The Chicago White Sox had an over powering staff.
Red Faber: 23-13, 2.99 ERA.
Lefty Williams, 22-14, 3.91 ERA.
Dickie Kerr, 21-9, 3.37 ERA.
And Eddie Cicotte, 21-10, 3.26 ERA.
They combined for 87 wins, 6 more than the Orioles. But Chicago also lost 46 games, 15 more than Baltimore. Their winning percentage was .656. The ERA: 3.38.
History In The Making
So now the Dodgers have laid the groundwork for what could be an historic future.
YIKES!!!
Coming off last season’s World Series championship, their first in 32 years, Dodgers starters – without Bauer – compiled a 3.02 ERA, tops in the majors.
That’s scary.
Hopefully fans of the Blue Crew will be able, at some point, to enjoy what they hope will be a repeat.
And that might not be as easy as it sounds. The last team to repeat were the New York Yankees. And that was back-to-back-to back in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
But Bauer’s presence changes the dynamics.
His 2020 credentials included a 5-4 record for a mediocre Cincinnati team (31-29).
Yet consider his 11 starts in the pandemic shortened season. The Hart High School and UCLA graduate had a league best 1.73 ERA to complement his 0.80 WHIP.
Bauer was also the most difficult major league pitcher to hit against. When the 6’1, 205-pounder was on the mound, the enemy hit a pathetic .159.
And it was those impressive statistics that earned the 30-year old right hander a $102,000,000/3 year contract.
Mets Topped Dodgers Offer
The New York Mets, the apparent front runner in the Bauer sweepstakes, reportedly had a $110,000,000 deal on the table.
In an article by David Adler, MLB’s New York correspondent, Bauer said, “Mets fans, I owe you an explanation and apology. My intention was never to mislead your fan base, nor was it to troll you in any way.”
Bauer had posted a live link to his Linktree Instagram page for Mets merchandise.
He also posted a signed Mets hat giveaway on his website with an email which read, “I can’t wait to take the mound in New York!”
He was quick to console the excited New York fans.
“It was an embarrassing and emotional moment for me,” Bauer said in the thread.
It wasn’t his dislike for New York, rather the North Hollywood native just wanted to come home.
Now the highest paid player in baseball, Bauer will earn $40,000,000 this year and $45,000,000 in 2022. And he can opt-out after each of his three seasons.
YouTube To The Rescue
A social media enthusiast, Bauer went to YouTube to put it all into proper perspective.
“Last season doesn’t matter anymore. Come April, what matters is this team, this group of players, this group of fans and the name across our chests.
“This season is about making sure history remembers us as we wish to be remembered. This season is about adding to our legacy. And I can’t wait, Dodger fans.”
But what about those typical fans stretching across America?
As the baseball season approaches, what about the die-hards in those 14 other National League cities?
Are they suppose to start waving their white surrender flags?
Is there now no hope?
What are they playing for?
Is their path to the Fall Classic nothing but a hopeless dream?
Why Even Bother?
And what about those 15 American League teams?
What’s the point?
Grind through their 162 game (hopefully) schedule to achieve the ultimate disappointment?
I may be getting a little bit ahead of myself here, but is it a level playing field?
Where’s the parity in baseball?
But wait a minute. Is it the Dodgers fault that, according to Spotrac’s MLB payroll tracker, a dozen MLB franchises have a team payroll under $100,000,000?
Cleveland ($36,555,000), Pittsburgh ($37,755,000), the Orioles ($38,940,362) and Miami ($45,200,000) have payrolls less than $50,000,000.
Costly Move
Don’t get me wrong, win or lose the Dodgers are going to pay…heavily!
For starters, President and CEO Stan Kasten said the Dodgers lost north of $100,000,000 last year without the 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 fans they draw annually.
On top of that, they shattered the $210,000,000 Competitive Balance Tax threshold.
What does that mean?
With a payroll of $234,839,000 the Dodgers will be taxed 20% up to $230,000, 000 and 32% on the remaining overages.
So how can the Dodgers afford this?
Their massive multi-billion dollar television contract has kept them afloat.
Bauer’s contract alone will take a 58.7% chunk out of that income.
Bauer’s Journey
So how did this kid, the son of Warren and Kathy Bauer, get to where he is?
For starters, Trevor, who went to high school in Santa Clarita, compiled a 4.8 GPA which allowed him to graduate a year early.
In his freshmen year in Westwood, Bauer was 9-3 with a 2.99 ERA. He was named to the Collegiate National Team and Baseball America’s Frosh All American Team.
In 2010 Bauer was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, and was named the top amateur baseball player in the country by USA Baseball.
The following season he was the PAC-12’s Pitcher of the Year and first team All-Conference. He was also named College Baseball Newspaper’s National Player of the Year, District IX Player of the Year and the college Player of the Year by Baseball America.
In 16 starts during his junior year, Bauer was 13-2 with a 1.25 ERA. He led the nation and set a PAC-12 record with 203 strikeouts. And to top it off, he finished the season with nine consecutive complete games.
By year’s end, Bauer had established UCLA career records for wins (34), strikeouts (460) and innings pitched (373 1/3). Coincidentally, this time he won the Golden Spikes Award and was named National Pitcher of the Year.
Bauer Drafted No. 3
In 2011 the Arizona Diamond Backs selected Bauer with the third overall pick. He signed on July 25.
In 2012 Bauer was 1-2 in 4 starts and on December 11 was dealt to Cleveland.
Seven seasons and a 67-53 record later, he moved across state to Cincinnati.
And then it was on to California.
The allure of a first class organization played a large part in Bauer’s decision.
Everything Fell Into Place
“It’s the people. It’s the organization. It’s the culture, the chance to win.
“The way everything is integrated, the systems that are built, the way that the organization handled everything – all of that played a factor.
“I want to be a member of a winning team. I want to be a member of an organization that values me and that I value them. I said it a lot during this entire process, I’m looking for a partnership. I want a chance to win.
“…It wasn’t about the money for me. It’s about being a part of something that’s bigger than myself, being part of an organization that can win.
“I want to win a World Series. I’ve come in second, both in college and in the big leagues. I’m tired of it. So I want to come in first.”
Hey Trevor, I’ve got some really good news for you. If you want to win, you’ve made the right choice.
You just signed on with the BEST team in baseball!
The Orange County Register Contributed To This Article.
Image: SEAN M. HAFFEY/GETTY IMAGES
John Stellman
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