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It’s been a pretty quiet day on the trade rumor front for the Cincinnati Reds. There’s been some nebulous “Teams are interested in some players” talk, but, yeah. Of course they are. There’s been little in the way of what types of packages are being discussed.
Enter Ken Rosenthal:
#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
Bauer’s been rumored for weeks now to perhaps be the odd man out in Cleveland, as they both try to compete for this year but also shed money for the years to come. He’s currently playing his second arbitration year at $13 million for 2019, which means he’s under team control through all of next season, but will come at a fairly hefty price (probably something in the $20 million range).
The Reds have a ton of money coming off the books and, thus, players coming off the books in 2019, barring any unforeseen extensions. These players include Tanner Roark and Alex Wood, which leaves some uncertainty in the rotation going into 2020. So, discussing a pitcher, especially one of Bauer’s talent level, makes a lot of sense for the Reds. Bauer hasn’t exactly backed up his breakout 2018, but still owns a very respectable 3.79 ERA through a Major League leading 156.2 innings pitched. His walks and home runs per nine inning have ticked back up over his 2018 rates, which is certainly concerning. But all in all, it’s not a terrible fit for the Reds.
What doesn’t seem to fit is the idea of sending out a prospect of Taylor Trammell’s pedigree for what will essentially be a season and a third rental piece. As mentioned above, Trammell has had a down year in Chattanooga, but he’s still the top ranked prospect in the system, and he’s ranked as high as 30 on Top 100 lists.
Perhaps his prospect shine has faded a bit this summer, but the ask seems like a lot relative to the market. Marcus Stroman, a pitcher in the same talent-tier as Bauer with the same amount of team control, was just traded to the Mets for two prospects outside of the Top 100 anywhere. Also, here’s this:
#Indians almost certainly will require major-league help in any deal for Bauer. If a deal transpired, Trammell could be among players going to Cleveland. He would not be the only one. https://t.co/sEdipARgpk
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 30, 2019
This, of course, is where the Reds rental pieces come in. I’m certain there are a lot of moving parts here when it comes to who all is involved from which team. But as reported, the asking price for the Reds doesn’t seem to make sense here.
The Trade Deadline is tomorrow at 4 PM ET, so stay tuned.