A Brief History Lesson for Cleveland Indians’ Front Office Haters

Trevor Bauer

acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks for OF Shin-Soo Choo

It may be hard to remember now, but there was a time where Cleveland and its farm system was void of any impactful starting pitchers. The Tribe ranked 29th in ERA in 2012 and there was little in the way of help on the way, so Antonetti and Shapiro made the move to turn the Indians’ final year of team control of Choo into an elite pitching prospect and potential staff ace.

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Now more than two years later, Bauer seems to have hit his stride at the big league level. He has posted a 6-5 record with a 3.96 ERA in 84 innings pitched. Still just 24 years old, Bauer has all the makings of a front-end starter who has the stuff to make an impact in the big leagues for the next 8-plus years.

This acquisition came at little cost, as Choo never would have stayed in Cleveland after 2013. It only helps the case here that Choo’s performance has declined drastically over the last two seasons. He is currently hitting .225 in years two with the Rangers.

Next: More pitching depth