"Call Trevor Bauer, make a run at Max Scherzer" - Sportscaster proposes bold solution to Padres to counter Dodgers dominance

Veteran sportscaster Lee 'Hacksaw' Hamilton has urged the San Diego Padres to make a serious effort to add former Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers Trevor Bauer and Max Scherzer from the free agent market. The Padres are going through financial difficulties and looking to cut their payroll, while their arch-rivals Dodgers have added multiple superstar free agents this winter.

Hamilton believes that the San Diego Padres have to add some depth to their starting rotation to contend for a playoff spot, especially as the Los Angeles Dogers look to buld on their World Series triumph last season by bolstering their roster. He feels Bauer and Scherzer would be inexpensive additions to the Padres.

Lee 'Hacksaw' Hamilton offered his take on some of the players the Padres should consider signing for the upcoming 2025 season on Monday (10:46).

"If I were king, I'd call on Trevor Bauer, and I'd take a run at Max Scherzer," he said. "Those are affordable contracts for different reasons, but maybe that helps you at four and five in the rotation, in terms of depth.

"Call Trevor Bauer, make a run at Max Scherzer," he urged the Padres front office. "Call Bauer, call Scherzer. Work some magic on a short-term deal or a one-year deal with an option that'd give them a bigger bump in money the second year if they have a good first year."

Bauer hasn't pitched in the major leagues since 2021, while Scherzer has made less than 20 starts over the previous two years.

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"Trevor Bauer has stayed out of trouble for two years": Lee Hacksaw Hamilton

Trevor Bauer was formally released by the Dogders in January 2023 (Image Source: Imagn)

Bauer was placed on administrative leave by the Los Angeles Dodgers in July 2021 before being handed a two-season ban by the MLB, which was later reduced to 194 games for allegations of sexual assault.

The Dodgers released Bauer from their roster in January 2023, and he hasn't been signed by a major league team since. Bauer has enjoyed successful stints in Japan and Mexico during his exile from the MLB.

"Call Trevor Bauer," Hamilton asked the Padres. "Good pitcher? Yes. Jerk? Yeah. Exiled from baseball for two years because of 'sexual misconduct,' though the dude was never charged.

"Dude forfeited an unbelievable amount of contract money for being stupid. But since when is being stupid take you off the major league roster? Has he learned his lesson? He's stayed out of trouble for two years.

Bauer won the 2020 National League Cy Young Award with the Cincinnati Reds.