Cincinnati Reds: Trevor Bauer will right the ship during the offseason

We haven’t seen the best of Trevor Bauer since he joined the Cincinnati Reds. Don’t worry, I have no doubt that he’ll right the ship in 2020.

Trevor Bauer has not been what fans expected since joining the Cincinnati Reds at the trade deadline. Since coming to the Queen City, Bauer has a 6.42 ERA and has surrendered 12 home runs in 10 starts. A lot of fans are now questioning why the front office sent Yasiel Puig and Taylor Trammell out of town in favor of Bauer. Don’t worry folks, Bauer will be just fine come next year.

Yesterday, Bauer toed the rubber and gave up four runs before getting out of the first inning. Those four runs all came with two outs in the inning. Pete Alonso got the ball rolling with a two-out double and scored after Robinson Cano laced a line drive into center field. A hit batsman put another runner aboard and Michael Conforto brought him home with his 31st homer on the year.

So, three of the six hits that Bauer allowed on the day were in the first inning. Four of the five runs that Bauer gave up were in the first inning. The remainder of the game saw Bauer pitch six more innings, allowing just three more hits and one more run, a solo shot by J.D. Davis in the sixth.

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In between the two-run bomb from Conforto in the first and Davis’ round tripper in the sixth, Bauer retired 15-of-16 batters, with the lone base runner getting aboard via a hit by pitch. Bauer struck out seven Mets during that span a looked like the player that Reds Country hopes to see in 2020. I don’t think fans will have to squint that hard to see that Bauer will be just fine.

Was anyone watching last week when Bauer stared down the Arizona Diamondbacks? The right-hander had his best start since joining the Cincinnati Reds. Over eight innings of work, Bauer threw 117 pitches and allowed just one run on four hits while striking out nine batters. That’s the version of Trevor Bauer I expect to take the hill every fifth day next season.

After a full offseason with highly-regarded pitching coach Derek Johnson, Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray have put together their best seasons. The one-two punch of Castillo and Gray look to be dueling for the role of ‘ace’ on next year’s ball club. Johnson is well respected throughout the league and Bauer voiced his excitement via The Athletic back in August:

"“He was supposed to offer me a scholarship at Vanderbilt. I told him a year or year-and-a-half before I wanted to go to Vanderbilt…He texted me the other day when the trade happened and said how excited he was to have me here and I said, “Yeah, it’s about time our paths cross.” We’ve known each other, and we’ve known the same people for a long time.”"

Not only have fans seen the likes of Castillo and Gray benefit from Johnson’s tutelage, but Robert Stephenson is having a bounce back season. Michael Lorenzen is an emerging star in the bullpen and a healthy Anthony DeSclafani is excelling in his role as the team’s No. 4 starter. The more time that Bauer and Johnson spend together, the better Bauer will be next season.

The 28-year-old will also be approaching free agency for the first time in his career following next season. Bauer has stated several times that he has no plans to sign a long-term contract with any team. While that may be the case, I think we should let that whole scenario play out.

Regardless, Bauer will be playing for a contract (one-year deal or multi-year deal) next season.That usually has a way of motivating a player to perform at his best. Bauer is a cerebral player anyway, but some added motivation can’t hurt.

Finally, there’s no denying that Trevor Bauer has the stuff. Bauer has a four-seam fastball, changeup, slider, knuckle curveball, two-seam fastball, and probably 30 other possible pitches in his arsenal. I’m exaggerating, of course, but you get the point. Bauer has an unlimited repertoire of pitches he likes to use.

It’s easy to look at the small sample size and claim that the Cincinnati Reds trade for Bauer was a complete failure, but I’d be very hesitant to attach any labels to this trade just yet. Trevor Bauer is the type of player that is fueled by emotion and a drive to get better.

Bauer spoke to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic after yesterday’s game against the New York Mets. If anyone throughout Reds Country thinks that Bauer is lacking confidence heading into 2020, think again.

"“I mean, the year’s gonna end in six days or seven days and I’ll go put in more work than anybody else, with a better process than anybody else, and then I’ll come to spring training and be a top-five pitcher in spring training, and go into the year and dominate in the first month of the season like always. Next year will just be a different year.”"

The Reds will have three starters returning in 2020 who are coming off the best seasons of their career. The best may be yet to come for Trevor Bauer. That’s an encouraging thought for Reds fans and a dreadful one for the opposition.