Cincinnati Reds reportedly land Trevor Bauer in three-team trade

The Cincinnati Reds have reportedly pulled off the biggest blockbuster trade of the summer thus far. Trevor Bauer was traded to the Reds as part of a three-team trade.

With the trade deadline set for 4 PM today, the Cincinnati Reds have reportedly made the biggest splash so far by landing right-hander Trevor Bauer. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that in exchange, the Reds sent Yasiel Puig to the Cleveland Indians along with left-handed prospect Scott Moss. Top prospect Taylor Trammell is headed to San Diego, as the Padres were part of the deal as well.

In addition to Puig, the Indians also received Franmil Reyes, Victor Nova, and Logan Allen from the Padres. While many fans will miss Yasiel Puig, the slugger is slated to become a free agent after this season and given that the front office decided to move him before the deadline, it seems unlikely that they would’ve pursued him or met is asking price this offseason.

But, while some fans will lament the loss of Puig, hopefully those same folks throughout Reds Country are excited to have Trevor Bauer join the Redlegs. The right-hander from North Hollywood, California is definitely bringing some star power with him. Bauer is 9-8 on the season with a 3.79 ERA and 185 strikeouts.

Like Puig, Bauer can be quite the controversial character as well. He was recently fined by MLB for chucking a baseball over the fence in center field before Indians manager Terry Francona pulled him from the game. Bauer later commented on his actions via ESPN.com:

“I want to be clear that my frustrations were with myself and my inability to stop the situation and keep my team in the game. I’m an intense competitor. That fire is what drives me. Today, it completely consumed me and took over. It was unbecoming. It was childish. Unprofessional. There’s no place for it in the game.”

Let’s hope that Bauer leaves that childish behavior he spoke about at the door, but brings that fire with him to the Reds clubhouse. After last night’s debacle that resulted in a benches clearing brawl, several ejections, and another ball aimed at Derek Dietrich, the Reds sit 7.5 games back in the NL Central and 6.5 games back in the Wild Card. They’re not done yet folks.

Bauer will be plugged to an already loaded rotation. Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray have been excellent this season and Tanner Roark has been a solid No. 3 starter. One has to wonder how much longer the veteran right-hander will be with the club after the addition of Bauer.

The Reds also have Anthony DeSclafani, who’s pitched extremely well of late after struggling to being his 2019 campaign. Alex Wood cannot be forgotten either. The left-hander came off the injured list a few days ago to make his first start of the season.

For those worried about the offensive production now that Yasiel Puig is no longer with the team, look no further than Josh VanMeter and Phillip Ervin. Over the last 7 games, Puig has slashed .120/.214/.160, while VanMeter is hitting .500/.545/1.050. Ervin’s not too shabby himself, slashing a cool .417/.500/.667 over his last 12 at-bats.

For the better part of a month, the Cincinnati Reds have been calling themselves buyers. Well, last night they proved that to be the case. Bauer is under contract this season for $13M and will likely make upwards of $18M in arbitration next season. Perhaps the Reds and Bauer can reach a long-term extension this offseason.