SF Giants: Three Reasons Trevor Bauer Would Choose San Francisco

The rumor mill has been heating up for the SF Giants as a new rumor is connecting them to star pitching Trevor Bauer.

Trevor Bauer will have plenty of suitors as the offseason market develops, and the SF Giants look like a logical destination. While there are some compelling reasons not to sign the right-handed hurler, there are plenty of reasons for him to hope the front-office views him as a target.

Let’s go through the three biggest reasons why.

Three Reasons Trevor Bauer Would Choose The SF Giants
1. Money

For years, Bauer has stated that he would only be interested in signing one-year contracts as a free agent as it gives him the flexibility to pick and choose the best fit for him every year. If he is only interested in one-year contracts, then just about every team should be connected to him.

After all, with a one-year pact, teams do not have to sit through the painful end of a contract where a player’s skill has regressed and is only marginally productive.

However, his agent, Rachel Luba, has signaled that he is open to all types of deals this offseason. With the impending CBA negotiations hangning over the offseason, Bauer may prefer more long-term security.

Whether it is a one-year pact or a multi-year deal, the Giants could conceivably be players in the Bauer market because of money.

After factoring in arbitration raises and if Kevin Gausman accepts the qualifying offer, the SF Giants remain about well-below the Collective Bargaining Tax (CBT). Even if they limit spending this offseason, they have plenty of room to spend and maintain a lower payroll than they have in recent history.

As a result, they could be aggressive spenders this offseason, and at least one source suggests they will be. Though, San Francisco has been extremely stingy with free-agent spending since Farhan Zaidi took over as the president of baseball operations. Perhaps that could change this year.

With Bauer looking to get paid this offseason, the Giants are one of the few organizations that seem even somewhat open to the prospect of spending.

Three Reasons Trevor Bauer Would Choose The SF Giants
3. Geography

While people in California are well aware of the cultural divide between Northern and Southern California, there is still a geographical proximity that’s impossible to ignore. Bauer was born in North Hollywood, California and grew up in Santa Clarita. After deciding to attend a college, he pitched collegiately at the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA).

After being drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round of the 2011 draft, Bauer quickly found himself in the state of Ohio following a blockbuster trade involving the Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, and Cincinnati Reds in 2012.

Seven years later, Cleveland shipped him across the state to the Reds at the 2019 deadline. In total, he has spent eight of his nine major league seasons in Ohio.

Now that he is a free agent, he gets to choose his next location. The Giants along with the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays are rumored to be aggressive spenders this offseason. If true, San Francisco would be the only option of the four that would give him a chance to be close to the West Coast. They are also obviously in his home state of California.

Signing with the Giants would bring him much closer to home than he has ever been in his major league career. Plus, he would get to do Spring Training in Arizona, which is similarly close to his hometown. On top of this, Bauer does offseason workouts at Driveline Baseball in Seattle, Washington.

The fact is, when Bauer has gotten to choose where to work, he’s always ended up on the West Coast. With that choice once again, it seems logical that it could play a role. Besides, who doesn’t love the sunny weather, tourist destinations, and sandy beaches that come with California?

Only time will tell whether the SF Giants will target Trevor Bauer in free agency. While there are some compelling arguments for the team to look elsewhere, Bauer has a number of reasons to hope they make a competitive offer. If they do, there’s plenty of reason to believe Bauer will choose to take his talents to San Francisco.