Source: Indians deal Bauer for bats

Source: Tribe gets Puig, Reyes in 3-team trade

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

Trevor Bauer’s final act for the Indians was throwing a ball over the center-field wall.

Yasiel Puig ended his season with Cincinnati in another brawl.

Cleveland agreed to trade Bauer, the talented but taxing right-hander, to the Reds on Tuesday night for Puig in a three-team deal that also involves the San Diego Padres, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The Indians, who are trying to catch the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central, also gets left-hander Scott Moss from Cincinnati and slugging outfielder Franmil Reyes, lefty Logan Allen and infielder Victor Nova from the Padres, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced.

San Diego receives minor league outfielder Taylor Trammell from the Reds, the person said.

In his last start for the Indians on Sunday, Bauer, who is not eligible for free agency until after the 2020 season, threw a ball in frustration from the mound in Kansas City over the center-field wall. The moment seemed to push the Indians over the edge with the enigmatic 28-year-old, who has one of baseball’s best arms but can be difficult.

Following Cleveland’s 2-0 loss to the Houston Astros, Bauer talked and exchanged hugs with several teammates in the clubhouse before departing around 10:45 p.m. He declined to speak with reporters.

Bauer is 9-8 with a 3.79 ERA in 24 starts this season, but he hasn’t been as consistent as the Indians have needed while waiting for two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber (broken arm) and Carlos Carrasco (leukemia) to return to their rotation.

Cleveland has been looking to add power to its lineup and Puig and Reyes will help.

However, Puig is facing a possible suspension after he was involved in another brawl with the Pittsburgh Pirates just as the trade was coming together.

In the ninth inning, Reds reliever Amir Garrett rushed the Pirates’ dugout and threw punches, starting a brawl prolonged by Puig. As he left the field for the final time, Puig was given a warm ovation from Reds fans. He was also at the center of a melee between the teams in April, when Puig seemed to be taking on the entire Pirates team by himself near home plate.

NEW DEADLINE

If Madison Bumgarner, Noah Syndergaard, Mike Minor or Robbie Ray is going to get dealt to contenders desperate for arms, it will happen this week or not at all.

Baseball’s trade window shuts this afternoon — completely, not like in years past.

Marcus Stroman, Jason Vargas, Andrew Cashner, Jordan Lyles, Drew Smyly, Homer Bailey, Jake Diekman and Derek Holland are among the pitchers dealt as the deadline approached.

Most of the big names fans envisioned changing jerseys have stayed put in this new era of baseball economics, where prospects and youth are more prized than ever.

“Teams are doing a better and better job of understanding younger and younger players, and that’s why you see the value in teams trying to keep prospects,” Toronto general manager Ross Atkins said Monday after dealing Stroman, a first-time All-Star, to the New York Mets for a pair of pitching prospects. “The younger players seem to be really increasing in value.”

Major League Baseball’s deadline for trades without waivers was June 15 from 1923 through 1985, and has been July 31 or Aug. 1 each year since.

Players who cleared waivers could be dealt after the deadline, but they had to be in an organization by Aug. 31 to be eligible for the postseason.

That changed in March, when MLB and the players’ association agreed to a rules change that prohibits trades from Aug. 1 through the World Series.