Trevor Bauer is confident that he would still be one of the most dominant pitchers in Major League Baseball if a team gave him a chance, but one Hall of Fame slugger does not seem so sure about that.
Bauer has not pitched in an MLB game since 2021. On Monday, the right-hander signed a deal for a second stint with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.
Though he continues to only get opportunities to pitch outside of the United States, Bauer agreed with one person on X who said the 34-year-old is “is one of the most popular pitchers in the world today.”
“Second, behind Shohei. I don’t think anyone in America understands how big of a global superstar he is,” Bauer wrote. “I beat everyone else though, including outdrawing every single mlb team in daily views just on my YouTube channel alone. That includes their streaming and tv numbers btw.
“I’m the second most popular player and the most knowledgeable pitcher on the planet. I’m also a top 10 pitcher on the planet and willing to play for $0. That’s minimum $50M value per year that you’d get for $0. But, someone very obviously lied about me one time so, I can’t go back to work. The absurdity of this situation is off the charts.”
I’m the second most popular player and the most knowledgeable pitcher on the planet. I’m also a top 10 pitcher on the planet and willing to play for $0. That’s minimum $50M value per year that you’d get for $0. But, someone very obviously lied about me one time so, I can’t go…
— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) January 28, 2025
Bauer was then asked if he believes he can still get MLB hitters out. He responded by saying there are about 20 hitters in the world that are “true competition” for him and that he would “steamroll” the rest. Hall of Fame third baseman Chipper Jones found that bold claim to be hilarious.
“The comedic aspect of this app is what I’m here for!” Jones wrote in response to Bauer.
The comedic aspect of this app is what I’m here for! https://t.co/2Fals5QTUM
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) January 29, 2025
Bauer last pitched for the Dodgers in 2021. He won the NL Cy Young Award in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He was originally suspended two years by MLB following sexual misconduct allegations from Lindsey Hill, but the suspension was reduced to 194 games by an arbitrator.
Bauer and Hill have since settled their lawsuits against one another. Bauer has said he is willing to take next to nothing to pitch in MLB again, but he still has not been offered a job.
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Shedeur Sanders has been working with the Cleveland Browns' equipment staff as the No. 4 quarterback this summer. He'll have a new opportunity following troubling injury news for Kenny Pickett. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Pickett suffered a hamstring injury during Saturday's practice and will not receive reps until his issue is re-evaluated. "Browns QB Kenny Pickett injured his hamstring near the end of Saturday’s practice and is expected to re-evaluate the injury later this week, per sources," Schefter posted on X. "Pickett was coming off a strong couple of practices, per sources, and at least for the short term, there now will be more reps for Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Pickett's injury will shake up the quarterback race in Cleveland. Through OTAs and early in training camp, Sanders has been the odd man out as the only signal caller on the roster not to receive reps with the first-team offense. It's unclear if the Browns coaching staff intends to give Sanders reps with the first-team offense now that Pickett is sidelined, but the fifth-round pick will have more chances this week to prove that he deserves an opportunity to stay in Cleveland. The Browns are in a unique situation with their rookie quarterbacks. Third-round pick Dillon Gabriel was selected before Sanders, but the son of Deion Sanders fell to Day 3 of the draft for reasons other than talent. The majority of draft analysts had Sanders as a better-graded quarterback than Gabriel, and many thought the Colorado product would be taken in the first round. The Browns can use the injury as an excuse to give Sanders reps with the first team, and it's a task they need to take advantage of before the team names a starter. Sanders has the potential to be a starter in the league, and this week is pivotal for his rookie season in Cleveland.
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