George Springer and Michael Brantley came off the board on Wednesday, but Trevor Bauer – the consensus No. 1 pitcher available in free agency – remains on the market. Bauer has been incredibly visible, however, thanks to his social media presence, and some have wondered if that kind of off-field visibility is something that might make teams shy away from the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner.
Don’t count Nick Swisher, a current Yankees special advisor and former teammate of Bauer’s in Cleveland, in that group.
“It depends on what organization you work for, because everyone has the type of player they’re looking for…but if you don’t like a Cy Young winner, I don’t know what you’re looking for,” Swisher laughed in an appearance on WFAN’s Moose & Maggie Show on Monday.
Swisher and Bauer played together for three seasons from 2013-15, that first season both players’ first in Cleveland. Swisher was at the end of his career while Bauer was still technically a rookie in 2013, but even then, Swish saw the future swag developing.
“I was able to experience it in Cleveland – he was catching a little flak then because he was younger and hadn’t put up those elite numbers, but he’s in a different spot now,” Swisher said. “Whether you like him or not, you’re gonna follow what he does on social media – and in the game of baseball right now, we need those personalities who branch out and let the world know who they are. Other athletes use their social media platforms for good, and he has that following where he can do amazing things. Kids coming up today, watching baseball, they want to be Trevor Bauer.”
And even if the social media presence is a concern, Swisher thinks the on-field product outweighs the potential off-field headache.
“Being a phenomenal pitcher is the first thing, because it’s all about the results. With what he accomplished last year, and the way he thinks about baseball – how he thinks about spin rate and how to attack hitters – we saw that swag come out this year,” Swisher said. “His confidence level reached the ultimate plateau, and Trevor is in a great spot, because he can sign wherever he wants, for as long as he wants. Someone is going to get one of the most elite players in the game, and the on-field stuff he brings outweighs the off-field stuff. We’re trying to win World Series here, and he can help that.”
Bauer has said in the past that he might just be looking for one-year deals every year, but if that’s not true, Swisher has no reservations about the Cy Young winner a long-term deal. Swisher recounted to Moose & Maggie how he helped recruit Corey Kluber to sign with the Yankees, but in Bauer’s case, he’s still not sure which side of the coin will sway the righty.
“He is in the driver’s seat; as long as he keeps outing up those numbers, he’s going to keep getting that money, and I could not be happier for him,” Swisher said. “He’s in a great spot to set his family up for the future, and I’m interested to see how it all breaks down. He has a game plan, and he’s going to stick to it. I can’t wait to see if he signs somewhere he can win right now, or if he goes for that big money, because that can really sway someone.”
Listen to Swisher’s entire segment on Moose & Maggie, including thoughts on Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, his future in the game, and more below!
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