Should Royals Sign Bauer? - DEBATE -
If you were JJ, or another team's GM, would you at least consider bringing him in for a conversation, a psych evaluation, a physical, a throwing session...all of the above, to see what his current reality is?
He's a massive talent that seems more than available at a likely very reasonable price. In the spirit of turning every stone to improve your team, would you turn THIS stone and see what's under it?
I'm interested to see everyone's thoughts on this topic.
My take? At the time, it seemed obvious that he was an "out of control monster" that didn't need to be anywhere close to baseball. But over time, through more information coming out and through my own personal experiences, I can see a possibility that the encounters were consensual and that while, for most people, the acts seem violent, if both parties consent and want it to happen then it's not really our place to judge. There's also the more recent possibility that he was baited into the situation for others' gain.
Long story short, we don't really know what happened. The idea that he was young, dumb and reckless, at the VERY least, seems undeniable. That is something that he may have truly learned and grown from. I have no idea and neither do we.
It seems like many (most) players end up getting second chances after their big mistakes. For some reason, some never do. That may be for good reasons, but it MAY be that teams just don't want to tackle the PR side of it. If you're job is to improve your team, and there's a player who will do that, and the only issue is that you need to figure out the PR side of things...??? Maybe it's something you need to consider.
Just a fun thought-exercise for a slow Friday. :)