CLEVELAND -- At this point in the MLB offseason, one thing has become very clear: It appears more likely than not that the Cleveland Indians' rotation will take on a different look in 2019.
But while Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco's names have been at the forefront of trade rumors, one Cleveland starting pitcher who had yet to be discussed was Trevor Bauer. That changed on Tuesday when USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that teams who have talked to the Indians thus far believe they're more inclined to deal Bauer than they are either Kluber or Carrasco.
Although the 27-year-old Bauer is coming off a breakout season in which he made his first All-Star team, there stands reason to believe Cleveland could trade him. If the Indians' primary objective in making a deal is to shed salary, then dealing Bauer could make sense given that his salary for the foreseeable future is currently unknown.
Under team control for at least two more years, Bauer is entering arbitration for the second straight offseason. Last year, the right-hander was awarded $6,525,000 -- a figure that only figures to go up following his impressive 2018 campaign.
Although both Kluber and Carrasco are locked in at higher figures for the next two seasons, at the very least, their salary numbers are known. Furthermore, as the youngest of the three pitchers, Bauer could be sold as the pitcher with the most promising trajectory.
In 28 appearances -- 27 starts -- last season, Bauer compiled a 12-6 record to go along with a career-best 2.21 earned run average and 221 strikeouts. Earlier this offseason, he took to Twitter to explain why it likely wouldn't make sense for his current team to try to trade him -- at least not for another year.
