NEW YORK — Luis Rojas gave a classy answer when asked if he’s relieved the Mets, a finalist for Trevor Bauer this past offseason, did not sign the starting pitcher.
“You know what I’m happy for? That we signed Taijuan Walker,” Rojas said on Friday ahead of the Subway Series opener. “I’m really excited for that. He’s been one of those guys that’s led us to have that camaraderie. He’s just an outstanding person. The first time he stepped foot on our [spring training] complex, he caused that impact. And that’s what I’m excited for.”
Bauer was accused this week of sexually assaulting a woman on two occasions in April and May of this year, the details of which were first reported by The Athletic. MLB placed him on administrative leave on Friday as the league and the Pasadena Police Department continued to investigate the allegations made against him. A domestic violence restraining order was also filed and executed against Bauer on June 28.
In February, the Mets made Bauer an offer for over $100 million across three years with an opt out after 2021, a source told the News. Bauer, on the heels of his 2020 NL Cy Young season, sidestepped that offer and signed with the Dodgers, much to the dismay of Mets owner Steve Cohen and team president Sandy Alderson. Both Cohen and Alderson voiced their disappointment in the aftermath of losing Bauer to Los Angeles.
“Obviously we wanted to get Bauer and we made a heck of a bid,” Cohen said in a March interview with radio broadcaster Wayne Randazzo. “I thought we had him.”
Bauer had a history of harassing people on social media even before the woman’s assault allegations this week. The affinity between the pitcher and the Mets front office drew pushback from Mets fans in the months leading up to his signing with the Dodgers; many believed Bauer wouldn’t fit into the Mets' clubhouse chemistry.
While Cohen still felt bitter in March about Bauer’s decision, the Mets front office had already pivoted to another front-line starter.
Walker agreed to a deal with the Mets in late February, after spring training was already underway. He later said the Mets were the only team to make him an offer in free agency, and that it was “destiny” for him to pitch in Queens. Walker has been a gem in the Mets' rotation, posting a 2.38 ERA across his first 14 starts for the club.
As for the Mets skipper who did not have the final say when the team made Bauer an offer, he managed the inquiry about the level of relief for the club with grace.
Rojas has handled press conferences in his second season as Mets manager like a total professional. His ability to sidestep the bait on a sensitive topic and redirect the attention to Walker, a Mets starting pitcher who is making a huge difference for the club, is just another example of that. Even if some members of the Mets organization think they “lost” Bauer, the club certainly won with Walker and Rojas.
