On Friday, free-agent pitcher Trevor Bauer, who won the National League Cy Young Award in 2020, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won the 2020 World Series. The news was a blow to the New York Mets and Marcus Stroman.

Mets fans were ambushed here, too. They probably readied for the announcement of a Bauer signing after USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that a deal was done. (His report was quickly rebuked). Plus, earlier in the day, Bauer's agent acknowledged via Twitter that his client's fate was down to a bidding war between the Dodgers and Mets.

One especially jaded Mets fan took to Twitter to voice his frustration at not landing Bauer nor fellow free agents J.T. Realmuto or George Springer, despite the fact that new, deep-pocketed owner Steve Cohen has clearly expressed a willingness to spend big.

The Mets have already added superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor this off-season, among other solid pick-ups.

Current Mets starter Marcus Stroman clapped back at the hater on Twitter and made sure to point that out.

“How negative could you be? Lmao … I guess Lindor, Carrasco, May, McCann, Lucchesi, etc. aren’t unbelievable additions? Typical negative soul in the media who focuses on the bad rather than the good. Poo-poo take. Lol can’t wait to compete in 2021 with the squad we got!” Stroman wrote.

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Bauer — having spurned the Mets — signed a three-year deal with an opt-out after the first two years with the Dodgers. He'll earn $40 million in 2021 and $45 million in 2022, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand,

While the Mets lament what might have been, the reigning champions just got richer. Bauer, the 30-year old Los Angeles native and UCLA alum, led the majors with a 1.72 ERA and 0.795 WHIP in 11 starts for the Cincinnati Reds in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The Dodgers added to a pitching staff which already includes Clayton Kershaw, David Price, Walker Buehler, and Julio Urias.