Bauer swap is biggest deal
Reds added a top starter to a team brimming with untapped potential
The Cubs made the biggest inseason acquisition in the National League Central when they signed closer Craig Kimbrel to a $43 million deal after he lingered on the free-agent market until after the draft (when draft-pick compensation was no longer attached to a signing).
But four trades made during the final days leading up to the trade deadline Wednesday might give the Kimbrel signing a run for potential impact on a division race in which the top three teams were separated by two games entering the weekend.
Ranking those four trades for NL Central impact:
1. Trevor Bauer from the Indians to the Reds in a three-team deal that included Yasiel Puig going from the Reds to the Indians.
The fourth-place Reds have the most ground to make up in the division and wild-card races. And Bauer’s bigger-picture value for the Reds involves a competitive rotation in 2020.
But many think the Reds already had the most untapped upside on their roster among NL Central teams. And a hot streak of even three or four weeks might be all it takes for the Reds to start jockeying among the leaders.
To that end, they have replaced back-of-the-rotation starter Tanner Roark with a 2018 All-Star who leads the majors in innings.
2. Nick Castellanos from the Tigers to the Cubs for prospects.
One of the top two or three hitters moved at the deadline, Castellanos helps address one of the Cubs’ strangest of many deficiencies this season: awful team production against lefthanded pitching (.235 average).
The corner outfielder, who made his Cubs debut Thursday in St. Louis, hit .347 with a 1.026 OPS against lefties with the Tigers this season.
3. Jordan Lyles from the Pirates to the Brewers for a prospect.
He’s not Zack Greinke, but Lyles fills a desperate need for a playoff contender that already was thin in starting pitching before putting two more on the injured list in a five-day span less than two weeks ago. It also could add a little spice to Cubs-Brewers games down the stretch after Lyles’ head-hunting role in the Cubs-Pirates benches-clearing incident last month.
4. Drew Pomeranz from the Giants to the Brewers for a prospect.
The former starter struck out eight in his first 5„ innings in the bullpen for the Giants before the trade — six in 3„ of those innings against the Cubs (see: struggles vs. LHPs, above). The Cubs and Brewers had 10 more meetings at the time of the trade.