We always knew Trevor Bauer had an ace up his sleeve during his free agency conversations. I mean, he’s savvy, smart, outspoken, and loves to mess with people. That’s one of the main reasons why some teams around Major League Baseball were wary about even trying to sign him in the offseason. And, after the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly came down to the wire for his services, it now seems like he and his agent had it all planned from the very beginning.

Bauer is now coming back home to play for the reigning World Series champions for the next two years with an option to add a third season to that deal. However, he could’ve made even more money had he joined the New York Mets.

So, why would he turn down more money and put a stain on his credibility by joining an already overpowered team? According to Newsday’s David Lennon, that’s what he wanted to do all along.

Trevor Bauer Trolled Mets Fans, Always Wanted To Sign With The Dodgers

“The Dodgers reportedly handed Bauer a three-year contract worth $102 million that includes opt-outs after each of the first two years, with a $40 million salary this season and $45 million the next,” the report started.

“To think the Mets reportedly offered Bauer nearly $80 million over those first two years themselves, also with reported opt-outs, with a third year that got him beyond $100 million, and they still couldn’t convince him to come to Queens. If Bauer truly straight-leveraged the Mets into his preferred landing spot with the Dodgers — and it certainly appears that way — you can’t fault Steve Cohen or Sandy Alderson or Zack Scott for what happened. They put together a historic pitch for Bauer and he turned down their money (while grabbing a few extra million from L.A.),” it concluded.

Certainly, it seems like Bauer knew exactly what he was doing. He taunted Mets fans by using their hashtag, sold some merchandise, and got plenty of love from the Queens’ fanbase before changing his mind all of a sudden.

At the end of the day, athletes do this all the time. They use other team as leverage and end up going exactly where they wanted to go, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to go back home. But maybe, just maybe, his tactis were a little off.