The Cleveland Indians won six games in a row heading into the All-Star break and are within striking distance in the AL Central, but they are reportedly open to unloading a key member of their starting rotation at the trade deadline.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported on Monday that the Indians will be “aggressive listeners” if teams call about Bauer over the next few weeks. He mentioned the New York Yankees as a team that might be interested, and SNY’s Andy Martino agrees.
Trevor Bauer definitely one to watch for Yankees. @Ken_Rosenthal reported today that Cashman’s top evaluator Tim Naehring scouted him on final start before break
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) July 8, 2019
Bauer has one more year of arbitration left, and he will likely make somewhere in the range of $20 million before becoming a free agent. The Indians appear to have decided they can’t afford to keep him, so this may be their best chance to get something in return. If they can deal the right-hander for an MLB-ready player, they would probably pull the trigger.
Bauer, 28, has a 3.61 ERA and has thrown an AL-leading 132 innings so far this season. This isn’t the first time we have heard that the Indians are shopping him.
