Cleveland Sports Forum

Can't see a 285 lb guy lumbering around in the outfield if he doesn't have to.

Lloyd: The Indians traded their best pitcher and still got better


By Jason Lloyd Jul 30, 2019 36

CLEVELAND — The Indians are better today without Trevor Bauer. Period.

They traded away their most talented pitcher, someone who could’ve won a Cy Young last year, and somehow they’re better now than they were yesterday — and they’ll be significantly better for the next five years, too.

They did not take a step back. They did not sell low. They knocked it out of the park. They hit it farther than Bauer’s final pitch sailed in Kansas City on Sunday.

The Indians did what they always do: They set a high price and they waited for someone to meet it. And they waited. And waited. And waited. They waited through Thanksgiving. Then Christmas. Then New Year’s. Then spring training. Then Opening Day. Then the All-Star break. Then, finally, the Reds and Padres — two of the unlikeliest teams in all of this — joined forces Tuesday night. Now Bauer is gone to the National League and the Indians don’t even have to worry about facing him at any point in this postseason. It was an overwhelming victory all the way around.

An Indians lineup that desperately needed some thunder — they were shut out Tuesday on two hits by Justin Verlander and the Astros — has suddenly been injected with a hurricane of muscle. Franmil Reyes’ 27 home runs would instantly make him the team leader if National League stats carried over. Yasiel Puig’s 22 homers tie him with Carlos Santana, who was the clubhouse leader until Smash and Bash get here. The Indians are the first team, according to Elias, to obtain multiple players with 20-plus home runs in a midseason trade.

Reyes is only 24 and he’s already hit 43 home runs while playing his home games in a pitchers’ park. He is under team control through 2024 and his wRC+ of 116 is third among everyday players behind only Santana and Francisco Lindor. He is a butcher in the outfield, but he can club home runs as a designated hitter for the next 5 1/2 years.

Puig might be crazy, but he can mash. He could be like throwing a lit firecracker into a tightknit clubhouse, but he was well on his way to setting a career high in home runs before this trade. He won’t be here long; he’s a rental playing out the final year of his deal. But if the Indians can get three months of thump out of him before he burns down the dugout, they’ll happily pack a fire extinguisher for the World Series.

That’s why I’ve remained adamant for months the Indians had to consider dealing Bauer to fix this lineup. Even with José Ramírez’s summer resurgence, they still had four deficits: both corner outfield spots, second base and DH. Take Jason Kipnis out of the equation. Kipnis’ overall numbers are bad. He has a lower OPS than Jake Bauers. But he’s a veteran and, given his contract, isn’t going anywhere. He’ll be playing second base from now until the end of the season.

But the Indians needed to dramatically upgrade at least two of the other three spots in the lineup if they wanted to realistically compete with the Yankees, Astros and Dodgers in the postseason. They did that.

A lineup of Lindor, Oscar Mercado, Santana, Reyes, Puig, Ramírez, Kipnis, Roberto Pérez and Jordan Luplow/Tyler Naquin still isn’t on par with any of those other teams, but it’s significantly better than it was 24 hours ago. Now with a postseason rotation of Mike Clevinger, Shane Bieber and Corey Kluber, they at least give themselves a legitimate chance. If they need to extend to four starters in the playoffs, the combination of Zach Plesac, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar provides enough possibilities to hopefully figure it out.

Is it ideal? No. Is it plausible? Yes.

If Reyes and Puig were all the Indians received, it would’ve been enough to justify moving him. It would’ve been two bats for now and one that extends for later. But add in Logan Allen, a consensus top-100 prospect before the season who projects to a third or fourth starter, and it’s a certifiable haul — particularly with the way the Indians can develop pitching.

Include 19-year-old Victor Nova and Double-A pitcher Scott Moss, then compare it with the return the Blue Jays received for Marcus Stroman, and the Indians will need to borrow the Brink’s truck Jalen Ramsey drove to training camp to bring home all of their shiny new pieces.

I thought Clint Frazier was probably the best hitter the Indians could get at the deadline, but that would require sending Bauer to one of the teams they’d have to get through in the playoffs. This is better. Significantly better.

It’s also more proof why the Indians operate with arguably the best front office in baseball. They find talent on the margins and create value in a vacuum. They dealt away a pair of low minor leaguers for Mercado last year at the deadline, then duplicated the feat this year when they got Christian Arroyo and Hunter Wood from the Rays for Ruben Cardenas, a Class-A prospect whom they essentially already replaced by adding Nova.

Don’t stop now. By removing the remainder of Bauer’s $13 million from the books and adding what’s left of Puig’s $9 million this season, ownership should save a couple of million on the deal — something that always pleases the Dolans. If there truly was money in the budget to increase payroll at the deadline, that should still be the case.

This team could use another starter now to bridge the gap until Kluber returns at the end of the month. It would also provide them another October option. Another bullpen arm would be helpful.

The Indians are legitimate contenders today to win the World Series, something they weren’t 24 hours ago. Depending on what happens between now and 4 p.m., they’re also the favorites to overtake the Twins and win the Central. They improved their short-term and long-term outlooks despite losing one of the brightest and most talented pitchers in the game.

Trevor Bauer is gone. It wasn’t easy to do. And yet somehow, the Indians are better for it.

Bottom line they have a real lineup now. And Bauer only pitches once every 5 days. (Oh, and his last start was crap so in a sense that spot in the rotation is useless for 10 days)

Add on the incredible depth at starting pitcher that they have and it was a necessary step.

They are determined to not tear it all the way down like countless others.

I'm remembering a Bauer quote at one point saying he knew the Indians HAD to trade him.

Bauer recommend that they SHOULD trade him. As a businessman, he stressed

Bet he's not too happy landing with the Reds.

Unless he's flipped to a team the Tribe would not deal him to.

Bowden: Grading the blockbuster deadline deal between the Reds, Indians and Padres


By Jim Bowden Jul 30, 2019 89

The Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres completed a monster seven-player, three-team blockbuster trade Tuesday night to kick off what should be an exciting trade deadline day. The Indians added the power they needed for their lineup, the Reds bolstered their starting rotation while the Padres landed the best overall prospect in the transaction.

This deal makes sense for all three teams. Here is the breakdown:

Reds perspective
The Reds acquired the best player in the deal, landing ace Trevor Bauer from the Indians. Bauer, 28, is 9-8 this year with a 3.79 ERA, 4.17 FIP and 2.7 WAR, with a 10.63 strikeout-per-9 ratio in 156.2 innings pitched. He joins a Reds pitching staff that is second in the National League in ERA behind only the league-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. The Reds will control Bauer through 2020. In return, the Reds send outfielder Yasiel Puig and left-handed pitching prospect Scott Moss to the Tribe and ship top minor-league outfield prospect Taylor Trammell to the Padres.

Puig is a free agent at the end of the season, and the Reds had no plans to extend him. Trammell, 21, is one of their top prospects and has a career minor league on-base percentage of .367. He has the potential to develop into a 20 home run/30 stolen base type talent with above-average defense in center field. Moss, 24, was the Reds’ fourth-round pick in the June 2016 MLB draft. He was pitching at Double-A Chattanooga, where he went 6-5 with a 3.44 ERA in 20 starts with a high walk rate of 5 per 9 but a strikeout rate of 10 per 9.

The Reds are only 6.5 games out of both the division and wild card races. Bauer certainly should improve their chances of contending the rest of the season and sets them up nicely for 2020.

With that said, I won’t be surprised if the Yankees now call the Reds and offer them Deivi Garcia and Clint Frazier for Trevor Bauer. And if they were to make that offer, I think it would be hard for the Reds not to make the deal. It will be interesting to see if Cincinnati is willing to spin their newest addition.

Padres perspective
Padres GM A.J. Preller continues to follow his blueprint of always trading for quality over quantity and lands the best overall prospect in the deal in Trammell. The Padres love his tools, his ability to get on base and his potential to be an exciting table-setter and long-term answer in center field. This trade follows the same philosophy Preller used when he acquired Fernando Tatis Jr. from the White Sox and Chris Paddack from the Marlins.

The Padres could give up Reyes because they had the same type of player in Hunter Renfroe, who they liked more than Reyes. Logan Allen is a quality left-handed starting prospect, but profiles out as more of a back-end starter or reliever type. Victor Nova, 19, can really hit, but his power is questionable, and he’s a high risk as a prospect who may well be 4-5 years away. With Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. on the left side of the infield for years to come, it made it much easier to throw Nova in the trade.

Indians perspective
The Indians had to add offense to their lineup, and they did just that, adding outfielder Reyes and his 27 home runs along with Puig and his 22 homers. The Indians realized they had a real power shortage compared to the division rival Twins and other top AL teams, including the Astros, Yankees and Red Sox. Nobody will argue the power of Reyes and Puig, but both do have holes at the plate and are susceptible to elite pitching.

Bauer was controllable for only one more season and the team felt that Corey Kluber, who us expected to come off the injured list shortly, could take Bauer’s spot in the rotation. With the emergence and continued rise of both Shane Bieber and Mike Clevinger to go along with Kluber, and the hopes that Carlos Carrasco will return sometime in the future, the Tribe thought they had enough starting pitching going forward to make this trade.

The Indians will control Reyes through 2024, while Puig is a free agent at season’s end. The Indians also got quantity in the deal in the left-handed Allen, who profiles out to be a back-of-the-rotation type starter, and southpaw Moss, who they got from Cincinnati with the hopes that if his command and control can improve, he too could be part of their rotation or bullpen in the next couple of years. The sleeper in this trade could be third baseman Nova, who comes over from the Padres, but it will be several years before we find out if he’ll actually develop into his potential.

The Indians got the power they needed for this year, and the number of prospects to significantly improve their depth going forward. However, they didn’t get the best prospect of the trade — Trammell — and in time that could end up being their regret for this deal.

Brewers deal 1B Aguilar to Rays, sources say

12:35 PM ET

First baseman Jesus Aguilar has been traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Tampa Bay Rays, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Wednesday.

Right-hander Jake Faria is headed back to Milwaukee in the deal.

Aguilar, an All-Star in 2018, fills the Rays' search for a right-handed bat. He is hitting .225 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs this season. His batting average and OPS (.694) were both his worst in three seasons in Milwaukee, but his numbers were up to .298 and .920 in July.


The 29-year-old is arbitration eligible for three more seasons.

He had a career year last season with a .274 average, 35 homers and 108 RBIs.

Faria, 26, has thrown 10 innings this season and has a 2.70 ERA. He has appeared in 40 MLB games -- with 26 starts -- over three seasons and has a 4.18 ERA and 9-8 record.

The Brewers are currently 1.5 games out of first place in the NL Central and one game out of a wild-card spot. The Rays are 7.5 games out of first in the AL East and a half-game out of a wild-card spot.

that's all so far, but I am sure much can be completed in the next 90 minutes.

Cleveland Indians: It was time for Trevor Bauer to go -- Terry Pluto

Updated Jul 31, 7:07 PM; Posted Jul 31, 7:01 PM

By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Rarely do you hear Terry Francona say anything negative about a player.

And when a player leaves, the Cleveland Indians manager is invariably complimentary.

He was that about Trevor Bauer ... to an extent ... after the righthander was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. Francona praised Bauer as a pitcher: “He’ll be hard to replace.”

But it’s obvious Francona was happy and somewhat relieved by the trade sending Bauer to the Reds.


That’s especially true after the Sunday game in Kansas City. In the fifth inning, Bauer lost his poise and fired a ball over the center field wall as Francona was walking to the mound to take the pitcher out of the game.

“I had concerns what it (the incident) could do to our team," Francona said. "I voiced those concerns. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit worried.”

My guess is Francona was really worried and concerned. This was not the only Bauer outburst that has been bothering the team lately.

The Indians were not going to deal Bauer unless they received a lot in return – and they did just that. As I wrote earlier, I really like the deal.

HELP ON THE WAY

They changed the look of their lineup when the three-team trade was completed with the Reds and San Diego Padres.

Of immediate help to the Tribe are outfielders Yasiel Puig (from the Reds) and Franmil Reyes (from the Padres). Those are two right-handed power bats. Puig will play left field, Reyes will be the DH.

Those two players have combined for 49 HR this season.

“You start to get excited about what is coming,” said Francona.


Puig is batting .252 (.785 OPS) with 22 HR and 61 RBI. He is a free agent at the end of the season, a short-term acquisition for the Tribe. He is facing a suspension for being a part of the Reds brawl with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.

Francona said his baseball friends told him the Indians were going to “get the best two months of his (Puig’s) career.”

The manager said the 24-year-old Reyes is “revered” in the San Diego clubhouse for his leadership.

The Indians talked about the 6-foot-5, 275-pound Reyes being in the middle of their lineup for the next five seasons. They also added pitching prospects Logan Allen and Scott Moss, along with 19-year infielder Victor Nova, who is in the Arizona Rookie League.

WHAT MATTERS

Francona believes part of the Tribe’s edge is team chemistry. He had six years of the eccentric Bauer. The manager helped Bauer to grow into a very good pitcher.

But Francona and the front office have been concerned for a while about the impact of Bauer on his teammates.

Francona is not a manager with a lot of rules. They come down to being on time and respecting the game.

Bauer’s actions were disrespectful to his teammates and the manager.

I had the sense listening to the veteran manager that he and others were suffering from a form of Bauer fatigue. It wasn’t going to doom the team’s pennant hopes.


But if the Indians could make a good deal involving Bauer, the manager was all for it.

The Indians also treasure continuity. The combination of president Chris Antonetti, general manager Mike Chernoff and Francona are in their seventh season together.

At the end of his press conference, Francona explained that he receives “too much credit around here” and more praise should go to Antonetti and Chernoff.

Maybe the trade doesn’t work. There’s risk with any deal.

But given Francona’s response after the trade, it’s clear this was trade that had to be made.

On a short goodbye, long hello and 4 others things about Cleveland Indians
Posted Jul 31, 8:43 PM

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Manager Terry Francona said his parting conversation with Trevor Bauer did not take long Tuesday night after he was traded to Cincinnati.

“It was pretty short,” said Francona before Wednesday night’s game against the Astros. “Chris (Antonetti, president of baseball operations) told him what we did and he said he knew. By then it had kind of hit Twitter. We wished him well and he went on his way.”


After seven years of quirks, Twitter wars, drone accidents and a lot of innings pithed, Bauer was gone.

“There are times when it’s probably more difficult than others, that’s probably safe to say," said Francona, referring to telling a player he’s been traded or won’t be re-signed. "I know last year when we talked to Michael Brantley in his exit meeting, there probably wasn’t a dry eye -- his or ours -- everybody is human. Sometimes it’s emotional and sometimes it’s not quite as emotional. That’s just being honest.”

The Indians traded Bauer, their best starting pitcher, to the Reds as part of a three-team deal with San Diego. The Tribe’s return on the deal was five players, including big-league outfielders Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes, who have combined to hit 49 homers with 107 RBI.


Antonetti said Bauer’s actions on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium had nothing to do with the trade. He called Bauer’s temper tantrum in which he threw a ball over the center field fence after Francona came out of the dugout to remove him from the game in the fifth inning, “problematic.”

He added, "But it didn’t really have any impact on our decision and what we felt we needed to do at the deadline.”

The Indians have been shopping Bauer and other starters since the offseason. Bauer was due to make close to $20 million in arbitration this winter and could have been a free agent after the 2020 season. He said repeatedly that he would not sign a multiyear deal.


Francona, however, said Bauer’s actions on Sunday “worried” him because of the impact it could have on the team. He said he talked to Antonetti and Chernoff about it before trade.

“I didn’t want that to be what Trevor is remembered for,” said Francona. "Saying that I had concerns what it could do to our team. I voiced those concerns. I would never ever go tell these guys (Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff), but they’re good enough to always allow me my opinion.

“You try to do the best you can. . .and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit worried.”

When asked specifically what he was worried about, Francona said, “Just about what had happened. I was concerned. That’s all. Don’t read more (into it) than there is.”

Mike Clevinger, one of Bauer’s best friends on the Indians, said the deal caught Bauer by surprise.

“I don’t think he predicted going to the Reds," said Clevinger. "I think he maybe predicted going to a contender. So I think that was kind of an eye-opening experience for him in itself.

"But no he’s a different cat. I mean he goes on his own rule. I mean he’s still one of the hardest (workers) I think I’ve been around when it comes to actually worrying about the game and pitching and everything he does.”


Right-hander Shane Bieber, another one of Bauer’s friends, was asked about the rotation without Bauer.

“We lost a warrior that goes out there every fifth day and who competes his butt off," said Bieber. “We’re going to miss that, but we have a lot of guys ready to step up who are willing to do the same thing. I’m really excited for what’s to come.”

Besides Puig and Reyes, the Indians received left-hander Scott Moss from the Reds and left-hander Logan Allen and infielder Victor Nova from the Padres. Allen is going to Class AAA Columbus, Moss to Class AA Akron and Nova to the Tribe’s Arizona Rookie League team.

“I’ve already talked to all of them,” said Francona. “I talked to Franmil and I talked to Yasiel both and they seem extremely excited about coming and so that’s a good first step.”

Francona said he reached out to a lot friends in the game to ask the about Puig and Reyes.

“I think the people in San Diego are devastated,” said Francona, concerned the trade of Reyes. "Everybody said we’ve getting a man in every sense of the word. I think with Puig, a lot of people feel like we’re going to get the two best months of his career. I hope that’s the case. Genuinely excited about getting to know these guys and turn them loose.”


Puig, a free agent at the end of the season, is hitting .252 (94-for-373) with 22 homers and 61 RBI. Reyes, under team control through 2024, is hitting .255 (82-for-321) with 27 homers and 46 RBI.


No. 1: How will the Tribe bridle the Wild Horse?

Puig’s nickname is the Wild Horse because of his abandon when he runs the bases and plays the outfield. There is also the matter of his temper.

The 6-2, 240-pound Puig has already been ejected three times this season and suspended once. He’s facing another suspension for his role in Tuesday night’s night fight between the Reds and Pirates.

“We know that’s on the table," said Antonetti, when asked if there was any news on how MLB will discipline Puig. "We don’t yet have clarity around what that might be.”

When asked how he will handle a player as emotional as Puig, Francona said, “I can’t answer that because I’ve never been around him except for that trip to Japan, which was a tour. I need to talk to him and ask him what’s important to him.”

Then Francona smiled and said, “I can tell you, if something ever happens, I’ll be behind him every step of the way.”

No. 2: How about another arm?

Antonetti and Chernoff tried hard Wednesday to make another deal before the 4 p.m. deadline. It’s believed they were trying to land a starter to take Bauer’s spot in the rotation.


“One of the things we’ve learned over the years is there’s no such thing as being close," said Antonetti. "You have a deal or you don’t. I would say that there were a number of times today where we thought we were either at the finish line or crossed it and it didn’t happen.”

It’s believed the Indians talked to Toronto about Aaron Sanchez, who was traded to Houston. They were also interested in Cincinnati’s Tanner Roark, who was dealt to Oakland.


No. 3: Egg shell time

Puig and Reyes were scheduled to get to Cleveland late Wednesday night. When they get added to the roster, two outfielders are going to have to get optioned.

That’s why Francona was reluctant to talk about where he was going to hit the two right-handed hitters in his lineup.

“We’ve going to have some difficult conversations tonight,” he said.

Outfielders Tyler Naquin, Oscar Mercado, Greg Allen, Jordan Luplow and Jake Bauers all have options. Look for Puig to play right field and Reyes to DH.



Indians right-hander Danny Salazar, who hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2017, will start against the Astros on Thursday night. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

No. 4: So what happens to the rotation without Bauer?

When asked about the starting rotation, Antonetti said, "“It’s a work in progress. There are some decisions that we need to make and we need to get some continuity and get guys back into the rotation in some cases and figure out roles for other guys.”


Antonetti said part of the reason the Indians felt comfortable trading Bauer -- who leads the big leagues in inning pitches -- was because of the progress Danny Salazar and Corey Kluber are making. Salazar was activated Wednesday, taking Bauer’s spot on the 25-man roster, and will make his first start in almost two years on Thursday night against the Astros. Kluber is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Saturday against minor league hitters. If all goes well, he could make a make a rehab start in the minors next week.

“I’m finally feeling great,” said Salazar, who missed the 2018 season because of surgery on his right shoulder. “I’m happy to be back in Cleveland. And I’m happy to be out of Arizona.”

Salazar just finished a rehab assignment in which he made six starts, striking out 28 and walking five in 17 1/3 innings.

Sounds like Francona wanted rid of Bauer !

He has always been a fruitcake.

Now when you pitch like he did last year you are no longer a flake. You are just a bit eccentric.

But when you act like that and pitch the way he did this year, you are a fruitcake whose act is old and time to ship you down the road.

I love it, HB

Eccentric on the way in, a fruitcake on the way out.

Now a Red, Bauer shrugs off Francona's concerns
play


11:37 PM ET
ESPN

Right-hander Trevor Bauer was officially traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday, but he was still on hand as the Tribe took on the Houston Astros at Progressive Field.

Bauer also met with Indians manager Terry Francona for a final time. Francona said the meeting with Bauer was "pretty short'' and it brought him relief.

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"Sometimes it's emotional, and sometimes it's not quite as emotional,'' Francona said. "That's just being honest.''

Francona acknowledged that he was concerned about long-term effects within the team following Bauer's spectacle Sunday, when he angrily threw a ball from behind the mound over the center-field wall in Kansas City. Bauer later called the act "childish'' and was fined by Major League Baseball.

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"I had concerns what it could do to our team, and I voiced those concerns," Francona told reporters. "I would never, ever go tell [the front office] something, but they are good enough to always allow me my opinion, and you just try to do the best you can, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit worried."

Bauer, who met with Cleveland reporters during Wednesday's game, reacted with a smile and a long exhale when told of Francona's comments.

"Well, I'm not on the team. So none of that really matters," he said.

Bauer added that he has been pitching with an assortment of injuries -- torn ankle ligaments, back spasms -- since early this season.

"It's been really frustrating,'' he said. "One of the things I'm most proud about is I haven't missed a start this year through two months of probably needing to be on the IL and probably should have missed some starts. I was able to get myself ready and take the ball.''


Indians manager Terry Francona, left, and pitcher Trevor Bauer met briefly on Wednesday, a day after the Indians traded Bauer to the Cincinnati Reds. Francona said the meeting brought him relief. Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Among the players the Indians got back in the three-team, seven-player swap is mercurial outfielder Yasiel Puig, who was expected to arrive in Cleveland late Wednesday. Puig had a memorable departure from Cincinnati on Tuesday, when he ended up in the middle of a benches-clearing brawl with the Pirates shortly after the trade was agreed upon.

Francona watched the brawl unfold on a TV in his office but said he isn't worried about Puig being a troublemaker. MLB has yet to announce any discipline.

"I need to talk to him. I need to ask him what's important to him,'' Francona said. "The fact that he may have done something four years ago in L.A. doesn't affect how he'll be treated here.''

But what about last night?

"I can tell you that if something ever happens, I'll be behind him every step of the way,'' Francona said.