Washington: 3 high-profile free agents Nationals need to avoid

Trevor Bauer

Trevor Bauer is going to be expensive. I have seen estimates from 1 YR/$32.5M to 4 YRS/$128M. All of which the Washington Nationals should keep in their pockets rather than shelling out to this outspoken, frontline starting pitcher.

Some will say, Bauer isn’t even on the Nationals radar. Were the Nats in play when Max Scherzer signed his big contract in 2015? Were the Nats the frontrunners to land Patrick Corbin two years ago?

Knowing Scherzer will be coming off the books after the 2021 season, the Nationals could go after Bauer and have one year with a four-headed pitching monster.

Short term this is a bad idea as it hamstrings what the Nationals can do to fill other holes on the roster. Long term this is a bad idea as it ties the Nationals into a third long contract for a starting pitcher. Strasburg has six years left of a massive deal, and year one didn’t go as planned. Corbin has four years left of a hefty deal, and year two didn’t go so well.

There are bigger issues on the team right now than the starting rotation. Minimal money (in comparison) can be spent to bring in a pitcher to provide quality starts. Tijuan Walker has been tied to the Nats. Charlie Morton has been mentioned. Jake Odorizzi could reunite with his former pitching coach if he was brought in.

All these pitchers are serviceable and come with a cheaper price tag than Trevor Bauer.