Trevor Bauer Trade Rumors: Indians Ownership 'Reluctant' to Deal Pitcher

The Cleveland Indians are reportedly leaning toward keeping starting pitcher Trevor Bauer rather than dealing him ahead of Wednesday's MLB trade deadline.

According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, the Indians are "increasingly unlikely" to move Bauer since ownership is "reluctant" to part with a player of Bauer's caliber given the team's spot in the standings.

At 62-43, the Indians are just two games behind the Minnesota Twins for the American League Central lead, and they are 3.5 games up on a playoff spot, as they hold the No. 1 wild-card position in the AL.

Although the 28-year-old Bauer has had an up-and-down season thus far, he has been a workhorse with an AL-leading 156.2 innings pitched. He also owns a 9-8 record with a 3.79 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 185 strikeouts.

Bauer is coming off a terrible start against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday that saw him allow nine hits and seven earned runs in 4.1 innings. When he was pulled from the game, he launched the ball all the way from the mound over the center field fence:

ESPN's Buster Olney noted the outburst may have compromised Bauer's trade value.

After hovering around a 4.00 ERA for the bulk of his first six MLB campaigns, Bauer broke out in a big way last season. En route to being named an All-Star for the first time and finishing sixth in the AL Cy Young Award voting, Bauer went 12-6 with a 2.21 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 221 strikeouts in 175.1 innings.

Despite Bauer's great season and the fact that Cleveland has made three consecutive playoff appearances, there was plenty of talk regarding Bauer potentially getting traded entering 2019.

Since the Indians need to eventually cut costs to sign shortstop Francisco Lindor to a massive extension, re-signing Bauer may not be in the cards.

He is arbitration-eligible in 2020 but can hit free agency after next season. That means the Indians don't have to trade him now, but if they want to maximize value, they could likely get more in exchange for him while he has one-plus years of team control remaining.

There is a great deal of uncertainty regarding Cleveland's starting rotation moving forward. Bauer could be gone before or during the 2020 season, starter Corey Kluber has club options in his contract for 2020 and 2021, and starter Carlos Carrasco has leukemia.

That means this season could be the Indians' final opportunity to vie for a World Series championship, and that could compel them to keep Bauer.

Also, since most of the top contenders in need of starting pitching are their competition in the AL (New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Twins), dealing Bauer would likely damage their own chances and help their rivals, which is a move that would be difficult to explain to a fanbase desperate for its first title since 1948.