Suggested to sign for league minimum salary: a contentious former star

The son of former slugger Gary Sheffield, Gary Sheffield Jr., wrote on X Wednesday, saying teams need to be “jumping on” the chance to sign Bauer because he’s prepared to play for a low cost.

Teams ought to seize this chance, in my opinion. Additionally, he has already addressed the unfounded rivalry with Gerrit Cole. Why can’t Bauer be given the same opportunity as Marcus Stroman, who had something to prove and was given it? Minimal risk with potentially enormous payoff.

After that, Bauer retweeted Sheffield and added a note of his own.

“Blake Snell will sign a multiyear contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And he ought to. He is deserving of it. “They could sign me for league minimum and pay 0 incremental dollars over what they have to pay to that roster spot anyway,” Bauer said, appealing to a team that is unwilling to commit hundreds of millions of dollars, multiple years, or numerous premium prospects for a Cy Young Award winner. Just one more choice for those who wish to succeed without going over budget.”

It would be fantastic for a team to sign Bauer to an incentive-based contract at the league minimum base wage.

Bauer was 13-9 with a 2.24 ERA in 28 starts during his final two MLB seasons, striking out 237 batters in 180.2 innings. His 1.73 ERA helped him win the National League Cy Young Award during the shorter 2020 season. Despite not having pitched in almost two years, he demonstrated his continued skill last year in Japan.

Because of his prior legal troubles, teams are probably worried about the backlash they would face from the public and fans if they sign Bauer. Teams may also be worried about fresh accusations surfacing after they sign the 33-year-old.