Shin-Soo Choo heads to Reds, Trevor Bauer lands with Indians in three-team mega-trade
Dec 11, 2012, 9:26 PM EDT
Getty Images That three-team mega-trade between the Indians, Reds and Diamondbacks has been made official.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports has the breakdown:
Reds get:
OF Shin-Soo Choo
INF Jason Donald
Indians get:
SP Trevor Bauer
OF Drew Stubbs
RP Bryan Shaw
RP Matt Albers
Diamondbacks get:
SS Didi Gregorius
RP Tony Sipp
OF Lars Anderson
Declaring winners and losers moments after a trade has been completed is futile, but it sure seems like the Diamondbacks got hosed here. Gregorius is a strong defensive shortstop, but the 22-year-old has registered a paltry .323 on-base percentage in five minor league seasons and seems doubtful to develop much power. Sipp is only a mediocre left-handed reliever and Anderson’s star has faded over the past couple of years.
That’s not a very impressive return for a guy like Bauer, who was drafted third overall in 2011 and had gaudy numbers (2.42 ERA, 157/61 K/BB over 130 1/3 innings) in 2012 between the Double-A and Triple-A levels.
On the other side of things, Bauer is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Indians, who have been dying for quality young starting pitching. And Stubbs is a guy that makes sense for the Tribe because he carries such excellent raw tools. The 28-year-old center fielder is worth the risk for a rebuilding franchise.
It’s also quite easy to love this deal for Cincinnati. In Choo, the Reds get a perfect leadoff man to place in front of Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Ryan Ludwick, Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier. Their outfield defense may be iffy, but that’s a dynamic starting lineup that should tear through most National League pitching.
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