A lesser trade-deadline trade, but a pretty good one for Cleveland IMHO

[Auggie]

Cleveland trades for Tampa Bay’s INF Christian Arroyo and RHP Hunter Wood in exchange for international slot money and a class A minor league player.

Arroyo, a once-highly touted prospect of the Giants, couldn't hit consistently in his initial MLB debut and was traded to the Rays for Evan Longoria in a multi-player deal. But ... what potential. He's currently on I.L. but with a contract that extends through 2024, and could be a fixture in Cleveland's infield (3B, 2B) for years. The Tribe has a great instructional coaches. If anyone can turn around Arroyo, it'll be Cleveland.

But I think the big steal is Wood. Cleveland has a killer stretch of 20 games starting Tuesday, all against contenders or teams with winning records. Wood will probably see some action. He's 1-1 with a 2.48 ERA in 19 games with the Rays, and struck out 24 in 29 innings. He is also under contract through 2024 and will likely be a fixture for years as well.

The Rays got Ruben Cardenas, a 2018 draft of Cleveland's. He was hitting .284 (91-for-320) with 19 doubles, six triples, 10 homers and 54 RBI in Class A, with a .818 OPS.

Small trade. But a good one.

DETAILS: https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2019/07/cleveland-indians-trade-for-tampa-bays-inf-christian-arroyo-and-rhp-hunter-wood.html

[Ohiogal]

1. Saw this

I give it the Ohiogal seal of approval.

Wonder if Trevor Bauer’s antics yesterday killed any interest from other teams whose scouts were checking him out...

[Auggie]

3. Bauer? Tribe is close to having Salazar and Kluber back ...

Salazar later this week, actually. Kluber soon after, rested and healthy.

If there was ever a time to trade Bauer, I guess it's this week. They need a veteran right-handed hitter ready to play now (and hopefully under contract for a few years).

Bauer had an off day. It happens. But it's possible he isn't be as lights-out as he was in 2017-2018. That's why I'm okay letting him go. That, and having two starters ready to rejoin the club. He apologized for the meltdown. But it was weird meltdown. It wasn't instantaneous -- you could see it coming. I don't think it would affect his trade value. If his mechanics are out-of-whack that's another thing.

If Cleveland makes the playoffs, the rotation would be Kluber, Clevinger, Bieber and maybe Salazar or Plesac -- with Plutko available for long relief. That's one hell of a playoff rotation, even without Bauer. I think he's worth a decent hitter.

[luvs2sing]

2. I agree.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Bauer. In no way do I condone or defend yesterday’s meltdown, but I am generally a Bauer fan, mainly because I admire the way he has dedicated himself to personal growth and becoming a good teammate in Cleveland. And when he’s on his game, he’s unbeatable.