5 winners from MLB trade deadline

2. Cleveland Indians

The big speculation leading up to the trade deadline centered around whether or not the Cleveland Indians would deal starter Trevor Bauer. In the absence of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Mike Clevinger, the right-hander had effectively functioned as the ace and workhorse of the Indians staff. With Kluber and Salazar on the mend, Clevinger fully healthy and young guns Shane Bieber and Zach Plesac dealing, Bauer became expendable for an Indians team desperate to upgrade their outfield. Bauer’s immature meltdown in his final start in Cleveland last weekend certainly didn’t help his case as a long-term asset for the Tribe.

Bauer is set to earn a big raise in arbitration from the $13 million he’s making this year, so it makes a great deal of sense for the Indians to trade him, antics aside. It’s just incredibly rare for a contender to deal away one of their best starting pitchers at the deadline — unprecedented even. The return package for Bauer, however, was also unprecedented.

Outfielders Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes headlined the return package for the Indians, making them the first 20-homer duo ever acquired in the same trade in MLB history. Puig does come with a certain degree of his own baggage and is likely to start his Indians career on the suspended list after finding himself in the center of a massive brawl shortly after the trade was completed. Reyes is a huge steal for the Indians. The 24-year-old outfielder is in only his second MLB season and is hitting .255/.314/.536 with 27 home runs and 46 RBI in 99 games. His raw power is ridiculous and he’s only going to get better.

The outfield was the most glaring weakness for the Indians at the deadline and they went out and acquired two huge upgrades over the group they had been running out to play the corner spots. The Indians played this trade deadline perfectly and made the correct decision to trade Bauer now.