Outside The Confines: Just sign already, Trevor Bauer

Have you ever watched The Bachelor? I’m sure some of you have, or at least are culturally aware of the concept, in which one man is wooed by 32 women in the hopes that he will find his one true love.

Now, don’t worry, this isn’t about to become a weekly column in which I share my thoughts on The Bachelor, as I’ve only seen one or two episodes myself and couldn’t even tell you who the current Bachelor is. But in the last few days I’ve been reminded of the show again and again, as free agent starter Trevor Bauer continues to keep everyone in suspense about which team he will choose.

It’s not that it’s unusual for a player to stay mum about which teams are courting them until the deal is done, but Bauer has practically crafted his own offseason reality show out of it. He has tweeted to the fanbases of teams in every city coyly asking for restaurant suggestions for when he visits; he’s posted on his YouTube channel, and shared lite behind-the-scenes insight into the process of choosing a team via his agent, Rachel Luba, and has generally made such a big show of the process that at this point it has become exhausting.

Much like with The Bachelor you want to scream “just propose to someone already!”

The most recent reports suggest Bauer’s most likely landing places will be the Mets or the Dodgers, but regardless of who he chooses I hope he does it soon, because this sort of thing is wearing thin:

Now on to the links!

• Bauer’s ultimate choice is obviously the topic of much discussion, so Mark Feinsand takes a look a which coast the Cy Young winner will choose.
• Matt Snyder believes signing Bauer will decide which team has the best rotation, but I think the San Diego Padres might like to have a word with him about that.
• With evidently only two teams to go, Matt Martell redoes his ranking of Bauer’s likely next home.
• Will the season start on time or won’t it, that’s a big question right now and one that remains unclear, so Alden Gonzalez and Jesse Rogers tell us what they know so far.
• Hannah Keyser, meanwhile, suggests it’s debate over the universal DH that is stalling all other decisions.
• Nick Selbe looks at the request by government health officials to have the MLB season delayed to allow players time to get vaccinated. This story was also covered in depth by Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Old friend alert! (does this mean we can cheer for him again now that he’s not playing for a division rival?)

• Matt Monagan recalls the beautiful 90s reality of Muggsy Bogues playing major league baseball.
• Who are the most likely World Series contenders this year? Jim Bowden looks at which clubs made all the right moves this offseason. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Zach Kram thinks the Nolan Arenado move is a sign of bad things continuing across baseball as more and more teams refuse to pay their long-time stars.
• Something we don’t think about with the changes to minor league baseball are the host families who grow accustomed to seeing these young men year after year. Zach Buchanan looks at those host families who are missing their “summer sons.” (The Athletic subscription required.)
• The Rays have reunited with Chris Archer, and Tony Wolfe looks at the details of the one-year deal.
• The Reds have found their new voice after the dismissal of Thom Brennaman last season.
• Following the brave story shared by Drew Robinson earlier this week, Levi Weaver, a writer for The Athletic, shared his own deeply personal story. (This is unlocked to all readers.)
• Can I introduce everyone to my new favorite Instagram account? They make MLB players (and mascots) teeny tiny and it’s wonderful.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.