Trevor Bauer flirting with the Red Sox to start exhausting offseason

The NL Cy Young favorite is flirting with another potential suitor in free agency, a he looks to cash in big this winter.

Back in 2019, the Cincinnati Reds acquired a disgruntled and embattled pitcher in Trevor Bauer from the Cleveland Indians. The transaction proved to be worth it in 2020, as Bauer put up Cy Young-caliber numbers and helped lead the Reds to their first postseason appearance since 2013. With the Reds eliminated from the Wild Card Round, Bauer is looking to cash in this winter as the biggest pitching arm on the open market.

Earlier this week, Bauer began flirting with the idea of joining the rival Houston Astros by saying he’s open to listening to all offers. On Sunday, Bauer continued to show how available he was by tweeting at the Boston Red Sox with a photo of his plane ticket to Beantown.

Bauer is set to be a hot commodity in free agency

If this past season was anything to go by, it’s that Boston is in desperate need of pitching. After Chris Sale had to undergo Tommy John surgery earlier this year and Eduardo Rodriguez opted out of the truncated MLB season due to contracting COVID-19, the Red Sox essentially had a skeleton crew for a starting rotation. They could use a Bauer to lead their pitching crew for the foreseeable future.

In 11 starts, Bauer led the league in ERA (1.73), WHIP (0.795), hits per nine innings (5.1), complete games (two) and shutouts (two). While the Reds were swept by the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card Round, Bauer was impressive in the second contest. In 7.2 innings of work, Bauer struck out 12 batters while allowing just two hits.

Bauer is one of the best social media follows in MLB, and tweets like this prove it. The right-hander knows he’s in line or a big pay day, and he’s certainly not going to rule out every team in the league. Whoever makes the highest bid will likely win Bauer’s services.