The Cleveland Indians have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. One of their starters from last season, Trevor Bauer, will start the 2016 MLB season off in the bullpen as manager Terry Francona has opted to roll with Josh Tomlin and Cody Anderson as starters.
The latest rumors suggest there could be some interest in the Indians' starters, including Bauer. In March, it was reported Cleveland was talking to the Boston Red Sox about a starting pitcher-for-outfielder swap since the Sox are dealing with rotation issues and the Indians are without their best outfielder, Michael Brantley, to start the season.
Those rumors have now extended to the Texas Rangers, who reportedly engaged in talks with the Indians this past weekend about a reliever-for-starter trade. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News said 25-year-old Bauer is "the kind of hard-thrower that Rangers manager Jeff Banister likes," which means the right-hander could be on the block depending on what offers the Indians are receiving.
It's unknown how long Bauer will remain in the bullpen or if the team is open to trading him, but he remains an interesting target because of his age, talent and pitching style.
"It just doesn't feel like he's going to stay [in the bullpen] long. Whether it's with the Indians or another team, Bauer is bound to return to the rotation," wrote Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
"The Indians have a big need for outfield help," Hoynes added. "Could Bauer bring that to them in a trade?"
Bauer went 11-12 with a 4.55 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 170 strikeouts in 31 games (30 starts), totaling 176 innings last year.
Let's look at three possible suitors for Bauer.
Texas Rangers
Texas is in need of a starter as they wait for Yu Darvish to return from the DL in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. He should be back in mid-May, but if they want to stay afloat in the competitive AL West, it wouldn't be a bad idea to patch up the back end of the rotation.
Bauer would also provide some insurance for the unit considering Martin Perez and Derek Holland are not reliable in terms of being healthy for the duration of a full season. Additionally, such an acquisition would heat up the competition for the fifth spot once Darvish's return nears.
New York Yankees
Any back end arm would be a good fit for the Yankees being that the health of nearly every one of their starters is in question. The unreliable CC Sabathia was also named the team's fifth starter, and while Ivan Nova is an option to slide into the rotation if the veteran left-hander falters, that's not anything to be excited about.
General manager Brian Cashman was seeking a young, controllable starter this offseason, but couldn't strike a deal for one. Maybe Bauer could be a desirable cheaper target because he's coming off a questionable season (he led the AL in walks) and failed to make the Indians' rotation.
Baltimore Orioles
The O's have arguably the worst starting rotation in the sport. They just released Miguel Gonzalez, and Kevin Gausman is starting the year on the DL, which further thinned the herd. Baltimore has a few others who can replace Gonzalez, such as Vance Worley and Dylan Bundy, but trading for Bauer could perhaps give them a more reliable option.
Worley spent most of last year as a reliever and Bundy has yet to make an MLB start. Adding Bauer would also foster further competition among the questionable rotation, like it would for the Rangers.
Bauer would probably be the hardest thrower on the staff aside from Gausman, so it couldn't hurt to add another power pitcher for a team that is significantly lacking in that department.
