Reds news: Trevor Bauer hopeful to play for the Dodgers one day

Reds starter Trevor Bauer would like to play for the Dodgers one day.

While this news may not sit well with Cincinnati Reds fans, during his YouTube show “FaceTiming With Friends”, starting pitcher Trevor Bauer voiced his desire to one day play for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bauer becomes a free agent this winter.

While he didn’t give a timetable, Bauer said during an exchange with a fan that he’d love to play for his hometown Dodgers. The 29-year-old hurler was born in North Hollywood, California and was traded to the Reds at the deadline last July. Bauer had played the previous seven-plus years of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Indians.

“I look forward to playing for the Dodgers one day. I grew up out in Valencia, so, I’d love to come home.”

The idea of going of home is not a foreign concept among professional athletes. LeBron James retuned to Cleveland after having success with the Miami Heat and led the Cavaliers to their first NBA Championship in 2016.

Six-time All-Star and Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley was born in Oakland, California. At 32-years old, Eckersley returned to Oakland and helped lead the A’s to the 1989 World Series Title. Eckersley won the AL MVP and Cy Young Award in 1992. Eckersley’s teammate and fellow Hall of Famer, Rickey Henderson, spent 14 years with his hometown A’s.

Bauer went just 2-5 with a 6.39 ERA during 10 games with the Cincinnati Reds last season, but it’s assumed that the right-hander will be among the best pitchers in David Bell’s rotation if and when the 2020 season begins. Because of the agreement signed between the MLBPA and MLB in March, Bauer will enter free agency this winter whether games are player or not.

Trevor Bauer has maintained in the past that he’d prefer to only sign one-year contracts. He may not have a choice heading into this year’s free agent market. The coronavirus pandemic has put a halt to the 2020 baseball season and the economic impact will be far-reaching, likely causing team owners to be very selective with their money heading into 2021.

If the Reds lose Bauer, or Anthony DeSclafani for that matter, to free agency this offseason, the team’s farm system is set up to absorb the loss. Highly-rated prospects like Hunter Greene, Tony Santillan and Nick Lodolo will look to make their big league debuts in the coming years. There’s an outside chance that Santillan and Lodolo could see the field this fall.