Like the other major free agents this offseason, Trevor Bauer remains unsigned.
Unlike DJ LeMahieu, George Springer and JT Realmuto, however, Bauer hasn’t been quiet about his free agency.
The NL Cy Young Award winner said in a YouTube video Sunday night that he wanted a “partnership” with whatever teams he signs with and wants a say in how often he pitches.
“I want a team that’s open to having an honest discussion with me about pitching every fourth day,’’ Bauer said in the video. “I feel like I would be a better pitcher pitching every fourth day than every fifth day.”
He added he doesn’t “want to go back to being miserable playing the game that I love.”
That means being able to do “things training-wise, baseball-wise, which is the most important thing, the way that I go about them. I’ve been an outcast at various points in the past because of the data-driven approach, because of the training methods that I’ve used. I’ve gotten push back from teams on that side of things.”
Bauer has long been one of the more outspoken players in Major League Baseball and has increased his presence this offseason, with no plans of slowing down, evidently.
He has been clear about wanting to build his “brand.”
But Bauer, who turns 30 this month, also said his goal is still to win a World Series and he wants to sign with a team that’s “trying to win the whole thing.”
“My career is too short to really be part of a rebuilding window,” Bauer said.
With free agency moving slowly again this offseason, there’s no telling when any of the top four players available will sign.
And with the Yankees looking to stay under the $210 million luxury tax threshold for next season and still focused on LeMahieu, coupled with the Mets adding Francisco Lindor to the payroll, the right-hander might not be a fit in New York.