D-backs trade rumors swirling again
Dec 11, 2012, 11:00 PM | Updated: 11:34 pm
The Winter Meetings are in the rear view mirror, but that doesn’t mean that phones aren’t ringing all over Major League Baseball.
One of the busiest and most-talked about teams at the Nashville gathering was the Arizona Diamondbacks, and apparently GM Kevin Towers is at it again.
According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, the D-backs are involved in a three-team trade with the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians.
Hoynes writes that Cleveland would send outfielder Shin-Soo Choo to Cincinnati for outfielder Drew Stubbs and shortstop prospect Didi Gregorius.
Cleveland would then flip Gregorius to the Diamondbacks in exchange for young pitching, either Tyler Skaggs or Trevor Bauer.
Gregorius, 22, is a left-handed hitting shortstop who split time last season between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Louisville, hitting .265 with seven home runs and 54 runs batted in over the course of 501 minor league at-bats. He committed 18 errors in 122 games.
The native of Amsterdam, The Netherlands was considered by most publications a top ten prospect in the Reds organization prior to the 2012 season. He did appear in eight games at the big-league level after being called up in September.
Gregorius also played in the Arizona Fall League with the Peoria Javelinas, batting .278 with one homer and eight RBI in 74 at-bats.
Skaggs and Bauer both reached the Major Leagues in 2012 after being rated as top ten prospects in all of baseball. Skaggs made six starts, going 1-3 with a 5.83 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 29.1 innings.
Bauer made four starts for Arizona, going 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA. He struck out 17 batters, but struggled with his control, issuing 13 walks in 16.1 innings. Bauer was named the Diamondbacks’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
