Cleveland Sports Forum

One-of-a-kind Indians pitcher marries charity and trolling with his 69 Days of Giving

Jeff Passan
MLB columnist
Yahoo SportsMar 28, 2018, 10:52 AM
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Major League Baseball’s arbitration process allows a player to request an exact salary, and when pitcher Trevor Bauer concluded that he and the Cleveland Indians were not going to reach an agreement on a deal for the 2018 season, he started to consider potential incomes. The first number he suggested was $6.9 million. Warned that was too high and that it risked him losing his case, he workshopped a few other options before settling on the money he wanted this year: $6,420,969.69.

“I just think it’s a good number,” Bauer told Yahoo Sports. “I think it accurately reflects my place in the salary structure relative to other athletes.”

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Despite his desire to make a mockery of the arbitration system, Bauer eventually agreed to file at a number with no weed or sex references: $6,525,000. Though Bauer won the case, his wish to be paid $6,420,969.69 did not abate, and it has spawned a most unique campaign of philanthropy. Bauer launched what he’s calling The 69 Days of Giving. Starting Thursday on opening day, he will donate $420.69 a day for the next 68 days to a different charity, the majority of which he plans on choosing after soliciting suggestions from fans on his website. On the final day, Bauer will give $69,420.69 to a charity he’s keeping secret.

In total, he will donate $98,027.61, starting with a contribution Thursday to the Lone Survivor Foundation, a favorite of Bauer’s that supports wounded veterans. The leftover $6,002.70 will go to Taiki Green, the campaign manager for the 69 Days who will administer the website and shot the hype video that went live on the site Wednesday. Subtract those two numbers from his salary, and voila: $6,420,969.69.

“That’s what I want to play for this year,” Bauer said. “I made up my mind. And since I got more than that in arbitration, I decided to give up the difference.”

Bauer’s embrace of a new subcategory of giving – benevolent trolling – is quite on-brand. At 27 years old, he is one of baseball’s sharpest characters – and one of its hardest to define. His unparalleled-in-baseball embrace of science runs into conflict with his full-throated endorsement of a president who devalues it. His hobby of building and flying drones – and the mangled finger one caused during the 2016 playoffs – belies the countless hours Bauer spends honing his pitches. He is the unathletic athlete, built more through hustle and inquisitiveness than genetics and traditional methods. And, yes, he is the guy who doesn’t smoke or drink but gleefully makes donations that start with 420.

“I’m just trying to give to charity, man,” Bauer said. “I’m fortunate enough to be in a position where I have the ability to do that. I have the means to do that. I’m in a good spot. And I can use my platform to spread stuff that I’m passionate about.”

***

When Trevor Bauer devotes himself to something, he cannot settle for a typical explanation. He must unpack it, understand its essence, experience it. The Indians were willing to offer well above the $5.3 million number at which they filed in arbitration. Bauer wasn’t budging. He wanted to see what he said is a “flawed” system at work.

“When it was first brought about, it was good, because it gave players a way to increase their salaries while teams have years of control,” Bauer said. “I think it’s outdated in a lot of ways now. It suppresses players’ salaries mostly. It should be reworked. The way teams are treating free agency this year, and all the years of team control, it’s got to be looked at.”

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It’s safe to say Trevor Bauer sees the game a little differently. (AP)
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Bauer is under the Indians’ control for three more years, and he’ll hit free agency following the 2020 season, at which point he hopes to have finally evolved from a right-handed pitcher with strong advanced metrics and solid classic numbers to one of the game’s finest arms. Because his plan for free agency may change baseball.

Watching to see if the indians can pick up Zimmer's brother and rehab him


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Royals GM Dayton Moore on designating for assignment Kyle Zimmer
The Kansas City Royals designated pitcher Kyle Zimmer for assignment before the start of opening day. General manager Dayton Moore thinks Zimmer has the potential to still be a major league player. John Sleezer
ROYALS
Royals request release waivers on Kyle Zimmer in hopes of bringing him back

DETROIT
Kyle Zimmer's career in the Royals organization has not yet ended.

The Royals on Tuesday announced they requested unconditional release waivers on the right-handed pitcher. Zimmer, 26, was designated for assignment on Thursday, hours before the season opener, to clear space on the 40-man roster.

MLB gives teams a week to decide what to do with players they have designated for assignment. The Royals either had to trade Zimmer or place him on the waiver wire. The other 29 teams have until Thursday to claim Zimmer and put him on their 40-man roster.




inRead invented by Teads
Since being selected fifth overall in the 2012 draft by the Royals, Zimmer has never stayed healthy long enough to complete a minor-league season. He totaled 259 innings in his first years in the farm system, which he was once headlining as the top prospect.



The list of health issues — elbow surgery in August 2012, bicep tendonitis a year later, shoulder surgery after the 2014 season, shoulder soreness in 2015, thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in 2016 and recurring shoulder soreness last summer — was capped this spring by continued fatigue in his right arm.

If he clears waivers, the Royals intend to bring Zimmer back into the organization and oversee his rehabilitation.

Wow!

PayDay Loans comes to MLB.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/2315 ... puted-loan

makes it sound like this scam is grabbing a lot of Latin players.

That's really sad for him. In this case I do hope the courts can sort this out for him.

this warrants investigation and action by MLB

Indians reliever Andrew Miller was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring on Thursday. The contract of left-hander Jeff Beliveau was selected from Triple-A Columbus.

Miller exited his outing after only two pitches in the seventh inning of Cleveland's 4-1 victory over the Cubs on Wednesday. He entered the game in the seventh inning with two out and a runner on first, and after his second pitch to Chicago's Anthony Rizzo, he grimaced, grabbed the back of his hamstring and motioned toward the dugout.

"With the DL being 10 days now, it just makes sense," Miller said. "I don't want to go on the DL. I don't think it's going to take 10 days. I'm more concerned with -- I already talked to [pitching coach Carl Willis] about it -- I felt like I was really sharpening up, and making sure we don't lose that. So, I think it's just you don't want to hang 24 guys out to dry for, call it, seven or eight days, if you don't have to. It's the right thing to do, even if it's not the most desirable thing for me personally."

Miller has yet to allow a run through 11 relief appearances this season and has struck out 17 batters in 10 innings.

Beliveau, 31, signed a Minor League contract with the Indians during the offseason. He's pitched in parts of five seasons in the big leagues with the Cubs, Rays and Blue Jays. He began the season with Columbus and has pitched 8 2/3 scoreless innings, holding opposing hitters to a .071 batting average with 14 strikeouts.


Some move required to add Beliveau to the roster, I suppose Merryweather to the 60 day DL. But I cannot understand why they don't dump Belisle
Checked the roster and with the new guy added they're at 40 so I guess they were holding a spot open. They'll need to move someone for Melky [Of course it could be Beliveau going back. ]

as reported elsewhere:

CLEVELAND -- The Indians added an arm to their taxed bullpen on Wednesday morning, promoting right-hander Ben Taylor from Triple-A Columbus prior to the Tribe's game against the Rangers.

Over the past week, Cleveland's bullpen has dealt with an extra-inning game, some rotation struggles and the absence of an injured Andrew Miller. The result has been a heap of inconsistency for a group that was already trying to sort out the roles of the arms assigned to the innings ahead of Miller and closer Cody Allen.

He's got a fresh arm, and we probably need that," Indians manager Terry Francona said of Taylor.

Taylor, who was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox on Feb. 25, has enjoyed a solid start to his season with Columbus. In eight appearances at Triple-A, the righty has 16 strikeouts against one walk in 10 1/3 innings, in which he yielded five hits and turned in a 3.48 ERA. Taylor posted a 5.19 ERA in 14 games for Boston in the big leagues last season.

Taylor was designated for assignment on March 29, but he cleared waivers and remained with the Indians. In order to add the pitcher back to the 40-man roster, Cleveland designated veteran righty Matt Belisle for assignment on Wednesday. Belisle had a 5.06 ERA in 10 2/3 innings for the Tribe this season after making the Opening Day bullpen as a non-roster invitee in the spring.

"We talked to Matt [Tuesday] night. That was not fun," Francona said. "He's one of the most professional teammates. ... When he left the room, I think [all of us] felt like we had been kicked in the stomach. So that was a hard one." [Tito doesn't like to discharge anyone. But I'm sure he has a great approach at delivering bad news]

Miller is on the 10-day DL with a left hamstring issue, but he will be eligible for activation on Sunday. Through the first six games of his DL stint, Cleveland's bullpen has posted a collective ERA of 9.45 with a 1.097 opponents' OPS in 20 innings, allowing 22 runs (21 earned) in that span. For comparison, the Tribe relief corps allowed 22 runs (20 earned) in the 60 2/3 innings prior to losing Miller to the injury.

NEW YORK - And the winner of the Erik Gonzalez vs. Giovanny Urshela competition for the Indians' utility job?

None other than Erik Gonzalez, who turned into a super utility player over the last three games. Urshela was activated from the disabled list on Friday and designated for assignment. The job may have well gone to Urshela, who was having a great spring, when he strained his right hamstring late in camp and opened the year on the disabled list.

Gonzalez and Urshela are both out of options. When Urshela's 20-day rehab assignment expired at Class AAA Columbus, the Indians had to make a decision between the two.

In other moves on Friday, left-hander Jeff Beliveau was designated for assignment and the Indians selected Alexi Ogando's contract from Class AAA Columbus.

The also optioned Adam Plutko to Columbus.

In the last three games, including Thursday's doubleheader, the rarely used Gonzalez went 7-for-12 with two doubles, one triple and four RBI. Gonzalez's batting average jumped from .182 to .391.

The Indians brought Ogando to spring training on a minor league deal. He pitched well in spring training and moved into the rotation in Columbus where he went 2-0 with a 2.89 ERA in four starts. Ogando has not pitched in the big league since 2016 with Atlanta.

I assumed that Gonzalez would win the "battle" since he has a longer history as a middle infielder and better offensive stats which Tito said in March were not significant in the decision. Gio could fill some team's gap as a starting 3B but he has not shown offense consistant for that position. He could get picked up as a utility IF but might just make it through waivers. Gonzalez would not.

Plutko we knew was up for one night. He can return when we need a 6th starter or when they get fed up with Tomlin.
Beliveau leaves meaning Miller's return is imminent and 2 lefties in the pen are sufficient. Olson hasn't been good but he was last season.
I thought Ogando would remain in AAA until he's worked as a starter long enough to be available for 6 or 7 innings but I imagine his stay now will be brief, just until Miller returns, and gives them someone who can work longer innings tonight when/if Tomlin is bounced early.

We are going to be losing Merritt (or Tomlin) soon too.

Keep Merritt. Ditch Tomlin

I agree.

Hopefully that will give him the ole kiss of life tonight.

Merritt much younger and a lefty.

I’m ready to sacrifice Tomlin for any alternative. Merritt Plutko. Ogando. Most preferably Bieber