Cincinnati Reds news: Trevor Bauer indicates he may return in 2021

It’s been speculated since his arrival to the Cincinnati Reds that Trevor Bauer would leave via agency after this season. But maybe he won’t.

Leave it to Trevor Bauer to give Reds Country something to talk about. The right-hander tweeted a message to Joe Burrow during the NFL Draft last night, welcoming the newest Bengal to town. In his greeting, Bauer predicted big things coming for Cincinnati sports in the next few years. Does this mean that Bauer would entertain a return to the Cincinnati Reds beyond 2020?

Trevor Bauer and free agency have been linked for sometime. Not so much because of what the 29-year-old may garner on the open market, but because of his radical idea that goes against the grain of rational discussion.

Bauer has held to the premise that he’d prefer not to sign a long-term deal, but instead sign only one-year contracts. During an interview with Bob Nightengale of USA Today back in 2019, Bauer suggested that he’d go year-to-year throughout his entire career, saying that locking oneself into a multi-year agreement may not make you happy.

This idea goes against most player’s thoughts of getting as much as you can while you can, while at the same time adding the security of long-term financial success in the event that an injury occurs. Bauer’s not wrong, however, as he points out that teams no longer pay for what you’ve done, but what you’re going to do in the future based on projections.

Trevor Bauer has never indicated that he wouldn’t consider the Cincinnati Reds beyond the 2020 season. In fact, you could make the argument that the Reds are the perfect situation for Bauer after this season. Bauer has said in the past that he wants to feel respected, he wants to play for a team reliant on technology, and he wants to win. The Reds check all those boxes.

Okay, maybe not the winning just yet, but given the amount of money the front office invested in free agents like Nick Castellanos, Shogo Akiyama, Wade Miley and Mike Moustakas, one could surmise that Bob Castellini and the team’s ownership are ready to put a winner on the field.

Trevor Bauer will be in a Reds uniform during the upcoming season, whenever that gets underway. Beyond that is anyone’s guess. Bauer, along with Anthony DeSclafani and Freddy Galvis will be the Reds lone free agents next winter. Castellanos could become a free agent as well if he chooses to opt out of his current contract after the season.