I know what you're thinking.
There goes Mike Shildt, heading out to the mound to get Trevor Bauer after a rough outing. Before the manager can get there though, Bauer turns to launch the baseball towards the center field wall. The act is so quick and vicious, Marcell Ozuna inadvertently climbs the wall to look for it. The ball ends up knocking Fredbird unconscious. Oh boy, how do we explain this to our kids?
You tell them it's an adult game and they will understand when they get older.
The good thing is, Bauer will never do what he did on Sunday ever again. Before Terry Francona, manager for the Cleveland Indians, could even get to the mound, Bauer launched the ball towards the center field grass. A staggering distance, pitcher or not. Social media lit up the night with hot takes about Bauer's actions and his integrity. The moral police were out and about as if the young man had just punched a baby and tweeted about it.
I couldn't care less. To me, it was an emotional response from a fiery competitor. Something Chris Carpenter more than likely thought about doing about a dozen times. The same fire that ran through Yadier Molina when he told Justin Verlander on social media to do something, using a choice set of words. The same fire people love was flowing through Bauer on Sunday. He had a bad day at the office and couldn't find a printer to destroy, so he chucked the ball.
He knew what he did was wrong. Anyone with a pulse did. When I say I couldn't care less, the intent is to move and not weaponize a description of a man over one long toss. As Francona got to the mound, Bauer looked like the kid in trouble at the principle's office as his parent arrives. He apologized to the media after the game, calling his actions a mistake.
So don't worry your perfect little hearts, readers. He won't be doing that again. We wear caps and sleeves in this league after all, leaving no room for a little raw emotion.
The good thing is Bauer is a very good pitcher, a reason the Indians may not even let him walk this season. If they do, the Cardinals should inquire and make an effort to acquire this man. The minute he joined the Cardinals, Bauer would be the best pitcher on the staff, his fWAR of 2.7 easily dwarfs the likes of Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, Adam Wainwright, Dakota Hudson, and Daniel Ponce de Leon. The latter three got beat up in their last outings, halting the success of the Cardinals decent, but far from great, rotation work over the past month.
Bauer would change things. He's Noah Syndergaard with more durability. He's Madison Bumgarner without a no trade clause. He's not 35 years old like Zach Grienke, who apparently hates the Cardinals anyway. He's better than the affordably good arm of Robbie Ray.
Before you pledge the acquisition of Bauer as a mortal sin, check out what he can do on a mound first. He's pitched 175 innings or more four straight seasons, and should edge closer to 200 this season as he currently sits at 156.2. Bauer averages 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings, a double-digit feat he's held for three straight seasons. He put together 2.21 ERA and 3.14 xFIP last season in 175.1 innings. The lifetime xFIP mark is 3.98, which should see improvement in a move to St. Louis' pitcher friendly park.
Bauer's ERA+ was a ridiculous 198 last season. Keep in mind that 100 is average. He walks a few too many at 3.5 per nine, but the ability to miss bats lessens that worry. The pitchers who give charity and can't yank it right back are the ones to bite your nails over.
How does he do it? Heat. He relies on a mid-90s fastball, mixing in a slider, cutter, and curveball. A changeup is used sparingly. Bauer can crank it up with the four-seamer and then tone it down to 79 mph with his off-speed pitches while mixing in an 84 mph two seam fastball.
Bauer has averaged right around a 3.5 fWAR over the past four seasons, which means he isn't going to instantly qualify for the Cy Young the next two years. He is a guy who would make the rotation highly formidable right away, putting the Cardinals on a level playing field with a team like Houston, who would have swept the Birds if not for some Paul Goldschmidt heroics.
The contract is where things might get tricky. Bauer is under team control until 2021, where he has made it known a series of one year contracts are the goal. Now, that could be a jester to find the right place to pitch, or a real stake on his future claim on the league. John Mozeliak may see this as a guy who could help the team make a run for a couple pennants in 2019 and 2020, give him the one year deal, and then see him off as the California native's 30s start to settle in.
The cost will be more than Ray but less than Syndergaard, due to the single year of control instead of two that the Mets pitcher holds before free agency hits. The Mets sent their No. 4 and No. 6 prospects to Toronto for Marcus Stroman, whose control is the same as Bauer's: The rest of 2019 and all of 2020. Bauer is arguably better than Stroman overall career-wise, but it's not by much.
The new Met has a pair of 200 inning seasons, a 5 WAR season, and gave the Blue Jays a fWAR of 2.9 before he left. Stroman doesn't strike out as many as Bauer, but has a better lifetime xFIP and induces groundballs, which would be a benefit due to the Cardinals' strong infield.
If the cost was the same, the Cardinals would send Elehuris Montero (No. 4) and Ryan Helsley (No. 6) to the Indians with another lower-end prospect attached. Montero is blocked by Nolan Gorman at third base and Helsley is riding the John Brebbia I-55 express ticket way too much already this season. The deal wouldn't cripple the Cardinals, and Bauer would be theirs through the end of next season, when Yadier Molina would retire and an era would exit with him.
Here's the thing. Warts and all, Bauer is a great pickup for this Cardinals team, which can use a little extra fire. The Cardinals sit at 56-49, tied with Chicago for the Central Division lead as the Cubs roll into town for a three game series starting tomorrow. Now is the time to strike and be the best possible team you can be, sore feelings and all.
Once upon a time... in the Major Leagues, players were acquired for what they did on the field and not shuttled to the corner for their off-field antics. Bauer launching a baseball to center field isn't exactly comic relief, but it's not enough to call him a flight risk either.
He's got that same fire as Molina and Carpenter, just wired slightly different. Look, if I had to lay down a bet, I think Molina could help Bauer find his place and get his head right. He's only done it to every pitcher he's ever worked with, including the equally crotchety John Lackey.
Do me a favor. Watch Bauer pitch this week. Watch him mix and match speeds, miss bats, and do that tunneling thing to hitters. Clear out the mechanism and watch him work before making a final judgment.
The Cardinals need a starting pitcher if they want to play October baseball, and Trevor Bauer could be that guy. Just saying.
