Tough Lessons And Second Chances

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This is what one of my colleagues told me at the coffee machine. I have a usual 7:30am routine two days a week at work. I get in, make myself a strong cup of coffee and talk baseball with PJ. Our teams have been chasing the same need…pitching.

I like to pick his brain; he has a different perspective than what you read online so our conversations are refreshing. So yesterday, we were talking about Domingo German and Trevor Bauer. Both pitchers have had a rocky past, but one seems to be closer to a second chance in Major League Baseball.

According to the New York Post HERE, German is talking to six teams about a return, two teams are AL East foes. The Mets are also in the mix although, are believed to be the last team on German’s wish list. German has some options, but what about Bauer? He’s selling himself as “one of the best pitchers in the world” but no teams are biting yet. Why are we hearing more demand for German right now?

Is baseball going to give German a second chance but not Bauer? Both of these guys have sticky pasts. German literally we saw that in May last season, but he also missed time in the 2019 and 2020 seasons after violating MLB’s domestic violence policy. Last season German’s season ended after an incident happened in the Yankees clubhouse that led him to seek help for alcohol abuse. He’s had a rocky past and sources close to him say he is in a better place and have eliminated some of the distractions that were affecting him. I believe in second chances, and I am happy that German is in a better place now. Hopefully that continues if he gets another MLB job… but why German but not Bauer?

We all know the situation with Bauer. If you don’t know, the google machine will tell you everything you need to know. I’m not here to talk about the details or why he is in the situation he is in. I’m not here to give an opinion on his past either. At the end of the day allegations were made, but he was not convicted of a crime. He lost his reputation, and opportunities in MLB. Shouldn’t he get a second chance if he isn’t guilty?

I know it’s not that simple. We live in a much different world now and optics are everything. At the end of the day though…..how do you justify not giving Bauer a chance to come back to the show? What does he have to do to earn an opportunity to prove himself? This is what PJ and I talked about.

Neither of these guys are perfect, but seriously…. show me who is. I know I am not perfect. If someone is willing to put in the work and own their mistakes and change, why not give someone another chance? Even if Bauer isn’t interested in a “one year and prove it” type of deal, give him the opportunity to turn it down. A one-year deal is nothing, low risk but high potential reward. The guy knows how to pitch, and he did well in Japan, too. I may not agree that he is “one of the best pitchers in the world” but he can definitely help a starting rotation.

So, have we stopped giving second chances now? If so, when? That’s just a hard concept for me to grasp. If baseball can look past German’s imperfections and struggles, why not Bauer? Forget about any personal feelings you have about him. Only look at the facts used to determine his outcome and his pitching abilities and ask yourself if he should get another shot on a big-league mound.

So, after 20 minutes at the coffee machine yesterday, PJ and I left it with a shrug and a “life’s not fair and neither is baseball,” especially if your name is Trevor Bauer. Maybe MLB will prove us both wrong in this case. I guess we wait and see. In the meantime, I hope German makes the most of his second chance. It would be a happy ending, and we need to see that now more than ever.