"So he...bought ad space" - Fans troll Trevor Bauer as ex-Dodgers pitcher's sportswear company logo makes LMB uniform debut
Ever since he made his MLB debut, personal brand has been everything for Trevor Bauer. Recently, the controversial pitching ace took marque to a new level.
Bauer's current team, LMB's Diablos Rojos del Mexico, recently unveiled that they would be adding an ad patch on their jerseys. Unlike the other logos on their uniforms, the newest label will be Trevor Bauer's personal "B" with a lightning bolt, alongside the words "Bauer Outage", a moniker that serves as Bauer's X handle.
In light of the news, Bauer's agent Rachel Luba made a rather bold claim. According to Luba, the 33 year-old became the "first player in history" to have his personal logo reflected on his team's uniform.
"Trevor Bauer has now become the first player (I believe in history) to have his very own logo repped on all the team’s uniforms! Pretty darn cool and such an honor—thank you #DiablosRojosMX!" - Rachel Luba
The claim, although probably true, did little to impress fans. In several retorts, fans hit back at Luba, holding that spending money on advertising exposure is no historic feat but rather an exercise in egoism.
A law graduate, Luba has served as Bauer's agent since late 2019, and has been one of his most ardent supporters over that period of time.
The founder of Luba Sports, Rachel Luba played an integral role in negotiating Bauer's 2020 one-year, $17.5 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds, the largest for an arbitration-eligible pitcher in MLB history.
"You paid for an ad"
"This is something you're celebrating?"
"This is stupid lmao"
In June 2021, while Trevor Bauer was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, accusations of sexual assault surfaced. Although Bauer was never convicted or even charged, the negative publicity surrounding the affair was enough for MLB to ban the 2020 Cy Young winner for 194 games.
Despite his checkered reputation, the pitching star still boasts a lot of supporters, some of whom were supportive of the logo installation:
"Absolutely fantastic"
"That's awesome... I hope some day @MLB does the right thing and lets him back in"
"This is getting ridiculous. Free Trevor Bauer now!!!"
Trevor Bauer remains committed to returning to MLB
Despite the fact that Trevor Bauer is 5-0 with a 1.50 ERA in Mexico, the former Arizona Diamondbacks first-rounder wants to get back to MLB. Earlier this month, Bauer made a typically bold claim about himself, claiming on X:
"There’s not a single mlb team out there that has 3 starters better than me. Let alone 5. And I’m as cheap or cheaper than any of them since I’m willing to play for the minimum"
While attracting controversial attention to oneself is usually not a good idea for professional athletes, Bauer is different. Whether or not this approach will manifest into an MLB contract remains to be seen.