Rumor: Diamondbacks talking Bauer for Cabrera swap
Dec 5, 2012, 5:12 PM | Updated: 5:33 pm
The Arizona Diamondbacks may be moving a big-name player, but it’s not the one everyone thinks.
Pitcher Trevor Bauer, who struggled in a brief appearance with the team last summer, is rumored to be a subject in talks that would net the the team Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. As reported by MLB.com:
If the trade comes to fruition, it would fulfill an obvious need for each side. In a thin free-agent shortstop market, Cabrera, a two-time All-Star, is an attractive trade option. And for an Indians club potentially in a rebuild-type situation, a young pitcher with upside like Bauer would fit the framework.
Cabrera, 27, hit .270 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI for the Indians last season, but had a career-year in 2011 when he tallied 25 home runs and 92 RBI. He would be an upgrade at shortstop for a team looking for just that, though he would not be coming cheap.
Because while Bauer had his share of issues in four Major League starts, the 21-year-old still projects to be a very good pitcher. He was Arizona’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2012 after posting a 12-2 mark with a 2.42 ERA over stops in Double-A and Triple-A. He struck out 157 batters over 130.1 innings.