Is another team going to pull the Mets move of picking up a guy under control through 2020? It was weird enough when they did it, but I have trouble seeing the Reds do it, too.
Rumors:
Have spoken to multiple execs who say the believe it is now much more likely than not that #Indians trade Bauer
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 30, 2019
#Reds among teams talking to #Indians about Trevor Bauer, sources tell The Athletic. Outfielder Taylor Trammell, one of CIN’s top prospects, among names under discussion. Trammell has regressed this season, batting .236 with a .688 OPS at Double A. @TheAthleticMLB.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 30, 2019
The Reds were previously connected to Bauer, in the offseason, as they sought to pick up pitching to compete in 2019, but at this point, surely this is just a bit floated by the Indians to help spur things along with other teams, right?
The Reds are currently a half-game worse than the Mets, though they’re 6.5 games out in the dreadful NL Central. They’re also 6.5 games out in the Wild Card, and would have to pass seven teams to get into WC position. Trading for a guy like Bauer could not plausibly be about competing this season – indeed, the Reds have pieces to sell off, rather than to add.
So is it a lot like the Mets, where they want to sell guys off, but also make sure they have Bauer for next year? Maybe so, but in a functioning market, the price tag should reflect the value the guy adds THIS year in a pennant race, and should thus be TOO HIGH for a non-competing team like the Reds (or Mets) to be willing to pay.
It’s weird enough that Marcus Stroman went to the Mets, and it mucked up the market. Surely the Reds aren’t about to do it, too, right?
Nah. Nah. I don’t buy it. This is a rumor being pushed to move Bauer talks along with other teams. I’m 93% confident.