Dodgers: Magic Johnson Believes Trevor Bauer Brings an Edge the Team Did Not Have
Dodgers owner Magic Johson knows a thing or two about winning championships. After all, he won five of them with the Lakers in his Hall of Fame career. So when he talks about what it takes to build a winning team, you had better listen up.
Magic made an appearance at the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation virtual event this past week. The event aimed to raise money for those hit hard by the pandemic in Los Angeles. At the virtual event, Magic talked about the decision to bring Trevor Bauer on board.
For Magic, adding Bauer to the Dodgers brings an element that they were missing after winning it all last season. He brings a hungry player who is eager to win a championship, not letting Los Angeles settle for just one in 2020.
When you go to repeat, you need somebody new to keep everybody on edge. Somebody who hasn’t won a championship. So Trevor’s job is to keep everybody on edge and make sure they’re doing their job like he’s going to do his job. And we got some great leaders in the clubhouse. … Trevor, all you got to do is just do your part because we got everybody else doing their part. That’s how we won last season, and that’s how we’re gonna win this season as well.
While I can’t speak to the effect that having Bauer on the team will actually have, Magic is right about one thing. Trevor Bauer has yet to win a World Series in his career. Whether that plays a role with the Dodgers moving forward is anyone’s guess.
Notably, Bauer was very straightforward when he admitted he was tired of losing or finishing in second place. He lost the World Series with the Indians in 2016, and he lost the 2010 College World Series with the UCLA Bruins. If all goes according to plan, he won’t ever have to see second place with the Dodgers.
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I agree with Magic. JT is the long standing steady base of the Dodgers who brings a calm positive attitude to the team. Mookie brings the alert high adrenaline attitude of a guy who’s going find a way to win. And he has all the tools he needs to do it multiple ways. He has the awareness to take advantage of any opportunity that arises, and lifts the entire team when he does it. Bauer brings an competitive edginess that is highly focused on one thing, sending opposing hitters back to the dugout empty handed. Bauer adds to the competitiveness that Mookie brought to the Dodgers last year that put the Dodgers over the top.
nice post but you failed to mention kershaw. he has fierce competition in his veins and when he’s out there….everybody pays attention.
I thought about that. Kersh is definitely a big time competitor and leader. He’s been doing everything right for a long time. The only reason I didn’t mention him above was that I was thinking about the new additions, and even thinking of JT as a new, old aquisition. Trust me, no disrespect to Kersh. JT and Kersh are foundational Dodgers.
Bauer is just another arm on this team. Any ‘edges’ he may have will be sanded off very quickly as he hopefully becomes another Dodger pitching legend starting April 1.
I love Magic Johnson, but he sometimes sticks his foot in his mouth. I don’t think it is Bauer’s role to “keep everyone on edge, and make sure they are doing their job”. This is a team that just won the World Series, and has established leaders in Betts, Turner, and Kershaw. Not saying he has nothing to contribute, he seems like a driven, hard working player that really studies his craft. With a reputation as an abrasive guy, he needs to fit in, not make sure everybody is doing their job.
If you look at pitchers on our staff, we are blessed with a bunch with a competitive “edge”. Kershaw. Beuhler. May. Urias. Once on the mound, they are a different animal. Graterol, Gonzalez. And yes, we have other pitchers the same way. Ryu and Hill come to mind from our recent past. Bauer looks to be a pitcher with an “edge” about him; but sorry Magic, our pitchers are already there. Trevor is joining a bunch with the same attitude when they cross those baselines. And our hitters are the same way.
This coming from a guy, when they signed Ryu, MJ, announced it as it was after a Street Fighting game character. I don’t put much stock in to what MJ says. I also don’t think the Dodgers needed to go out and sign a pitcher for over $100M when egos are already in check. True $$$ will be coming off the books, next year, but just the same, I think they could have gone a little more reasonable. Just because you are signing a player for a insane deal, doesn’t mean he will play like it.
One thing that Bauer is not, is a club house leader