Bauer?

[Too Tall]

If Elias has taught us anything since he arrived to build the Orioles, it's Bauer would be the opposite kind of personal character he would bring into the clubhouse. Yes, ability counts but so equally does character. That's why it's really easy to be proud of and root for this team.

[ShoelesJoe]

4 hours ago, 24fps said:

Right.  Let's say you have an 8-year-old and he/she asked you for a Trevor Bauer jersey for their birthday.  How would  you react? 

Tell them they can hang it in the closet next to their Ray Lewis jersey. 

[EddeeEddee]

7 minutes ago, ShoelesJoe said:

Tell them they can hang it in the closet next to their Ray Lewis jersey. 

I think a Ray Rice jersey is the better analogy.

[ScGO's]

19 hours ago, HakunaSakata said:

It's impossible to discuss a Trevor Bauer signing with taking to account the baggage that's associated with him. And that's 100% because of the situations (right or wrong) that he's put himself in.  If we're discussing the player I think he's a mediocre pitcher who made himself better by cheating (i.e., sticky stuff). No other mediocre pitchers get their own threads ever offseason. The only reason Bauer does is because people like to troll for virtue signaling and arguments so they can defend him and show off their arm chair law degrees.

 

18 hours ago, 24fps said:

Can you run a major league baseball franchise without considering the values of the people you want supporting the team?

Pitching-wise, I think he's a dawg

Character wise, no fan knows anything about Bauer other than what mainstream media shaped for them. Legally, he's just as much a saint or sinner as the next guy

Y'all just keep casting those stones

[HakunaSakata]

1 hour ago, ScGO's said:

 

Pitching-wise, I think he's a dawg

Character wise, no fan knows anything about Bauer other than what mainstream media shaped for them. Legally, he's just as much a saint or sinner as the next guy

Y'all just keep casting those stones

And you keep missing the point. It doesn't matter if he's a saint or sinner, it's about public perception and the impact of that on ticket sales, merchandise sales, tv ratings, etc. Trust me, as someone who's worked in marketing for 25+ years one absolutely has a direct impact on the other. And a pitcher who's ceiling is MLB is probably a 4.00ish ERA at this point in his career isn't worth the additional baggage that comes with him.

[RZNJ]

3 minutes ago, HakunaSakata said:

And you keep missing the point. It doesn't matter if he's a saint or sinner, it's about public perception and the impact of that on ticket sales, merchandise sales, tv ratings, etc. Trust me, as someone who's worked in marketing for 25+ years one absolutely has a direct impact on the other. And a pitcher who's ceiling is MLB is probably a 4.00ish ERA at this point in his career isn't worth the additional baggage that comes with him.

I agree with a lot of what you said but why call Bauer a mediocre pitcher with the ceiling of a 4.00 starter.  He might be that but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he was much, much better than that.  

[SemperFi]

2 hours ago, ScGO's said:

 

Pitching-wise, I think he's a dawg

Character wise, no fan knows anything about Bauer other than what mainstream media shaped for them. Legally, he's just as much a saint or sinner as the next guy

Y'all just keep casting those stones

I'm not sure why some think his legal staus absolves his conduct.  He answers to his MLB contract first which has numerous morals clauses which he was found to have violated.  The standards are very different and I applaud MLB for protecting their brand.  

[Jim'sKid26]

If the outward facing perspective from both parties is one of redemption and image rehabilitation, he could be received by Oriole fans as a guy who gets a second chance. He's made his mistakes. He's truly sorry for the negative impact he's had and he wants to be part of the pitching staff and the team. 

If the inward facing perspective is that there is zero tolerance for bad behavior, his contract is structured such that behavior is codified and specifically (and unequivocally) delineated with ramifications. If he buys into the work ethic and team first atmosphere in Baltimore he certainly has the talent to help the team.

These are 2 enormous ifs and likely not in either party's typical modis operandi. If we go by Bauer's social media presence, he's been rather less than contrite. I would hazard to say that the O's front office has very little appetite for caretaking and surveillance of MLB's most recent infant terrible. I just think its extremely unlikely there is any interest in Trevor Bauer pitching in Baltimore.

[owknows]

[HakunaSakata]

5 hours ago, RZNJ said:

I agree with a lot of what you said but why call Bauer a mediocre pitcher with the ceiling of a 4.00 starter.  He might be that but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he was much, much better than that.  

...because he's an admitted cheater (sticky substance) who had an ERA of 4+ for six seasons before he started cheating. And I could care less what he did in Japan. Those stats are completely meaningless. 

[HakunaSakata]

4 hours ago, Jim'sKid26 said:

If the outward facing perspective from both parties is one of redemption and image rehabilitation, he could be received by Oriole fans as a guy who gets a second chance. He's made his mistakes. He's truly sorry for the negative impact he's had and he wants to be part of the pitching staff and the team. 

If the inward facing perspective is that there is zero tolerance for bad behavior, his contract is structured such that behavior is codified and specifically (and unequivocally) delineated with ramifications. If he buys into the work ethic and team first atmosphere in Baltimore he certainly has the talent to help the team.

These are 2 enormous ifs and likely not in either party's typical modis operandi. If we go by Bauer's social media presence, he's been rather less than contrite. I would hazard to say that the O's front office has very little appetite for caretaking and surveillance of MLB's most recent infant terrible. I just think its extremely unlikely there is any interest in Trevor Bauer pitching in Baltimore.

Have you read any of Bauer's quotes or watched any of his interviews? He hasn't shown even the slightest hint of regret or humility. And at this point if he did wouldn't it just come across as disingenuous? From a purely marketing perspective, there's nothing that will repair his image other than time (i.e., hope that people forget) and that's something a soon to be 33 year old pitcher doesn't have. 

[Frobby]

5 minutes ago, HakunaSakata said:

...because he's an admitted cheater (sticky substance) who had an ERA of 4+ for six seasons before he started cheating. And I could care less what he did in Japan. Those stats are completely meaningless. 

I could see the argument for expecting that as his median result.  To say that’s his ceiling seems way over the top.   

[HakunaSakata]

7 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I could see the argument for expecting that as his median result.  To say that’s his ceiling seems way over the top.   

I'm not sure why. He hasn't pitched in MLB since they started enforcing / cracking down on the use of the sticky stuff. MLB started their crackdown in late June of 2021 and Bauer's last MLB start was June 28, 2021. Again, we have six seasons worth of data (before he admittedly started cheating) that indicate he's a  4.00+ ERA pitcher. If he signs with a MLB team and can no longer cheat why would I think he'd be better? 

[owknows]

6 minutes ago, HakunaSakata said:

I'm not sure why. He hasn't pitched in MLB since they started enforcing / cracking down on the use of the sticky stuff. MLB started their crackdown in late June of 2021 and Bauer's last MLB start was June 28, 2021. Again, we have six seasons worth of data (before he admittedly started cheating) that indicate he's a  4.00+ ERA pitcher. If he signs with a MLB team and can no longer cheat why would I think he'd be better? 

I guess we should have kicked that Means guy to the curb too.

[HakunaSakata]

19 minutes ago, owknows said:

I guess we should have kicked that Means guy to the curb too.

Please remind me when John Means very loudly and publicly admitted to cheating, like Trevor Bauer.