Phillies trade rumor: Trevor Bauer trade discussed with Indians
While the Phillies publically say they aren’t eyeing huge trade deadline deals, they are at least considering what would be a big move for Trevor Bauer.
A new day, a new Phillies rumor concerning acquiring a pitcher. In the last week alone, they have been linked to Robbie Ray and Zack Greinke of the Diamondbacks, Shane Greene and Matthew Boyd of the Tigers, former Phillie and current Royal Jake Diekman, and Mike Minor of the Rangers.
Now you can add Trevor Bauer of the Indians to that list. Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported Wednesday that Philadelphia and Cleveland had talks regarding a possible trade for Bauer.
Acquiring Bauer would be quite the move for Philadelphia despite their awkward positioning at the trade deadline. It would go entirely against general manager Matt Klentak’s public statement of acquiring Joe Blanton and Matt Stairs-esque players rather than Cliff Lee and Hunter Pence-esque ones.
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Bauer has been at the center of trade rumors for quite some time now, and any deal to acquire him would fall in Lee territory. A previous report indicated it would take a high-quality major-league outfielder and pitcher to pick up Bauer. At a minimum, a deal would be centered around a few of Nick Williams, Adam Haseley, Adonis Medina, Enyel De Los Santos, and Ranger Suarez.
Bauer has taken a step back from his All-Star season last year but would still be a massive upgrade over anything the Phillies currently have. In 23 starts this year, he has a 3.49 ERA, 136 ERA+, 1.162 WHIP, 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings, and 2.4 wins above replacement.
Bauer has one more year left of arbitration before becoming a free agent after the 2020 season. This fits with the team’s desire to acquire players who can help beyond this year. Bauer could command a salary upwards of $20 million next year, but that shouldn’t dismay team stupid money.
Next. Phillies linked to several Tigers players. dark
This weekend’s series against Braves should determine how aggressive the Phillies get before next week’s trade deadline. If they can hold their ground and pick up a game or two on the division leaders, the club may be more motivated to add a pitcher like Bauer.