Tanner Roark Reportedly Traded from Reds to Athletics After Trevor Bauer Deal

The Cincinnati Reds have traded veteran right-hander Tanner Roark to the Oakland Athletics, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. 

According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, minor league center fielder Jameson Hannah is going to Cincinnati.

Roark is 6-7 with a 4.20 FIP in 21 appearances this season, per FanGraphs. The Athletic's C. Trent Rosecrans detailed the moment he learned of the trade:

The move comes on the same day the Reds confirmed they acquired Trevor Bauer from the Cleveland Indians. Bauer's arrival likely allowed the Reds to feel more comfortable trading Roark, a free agent at the end of the season. What is now the team's starting rotation is all under team control for 2020.

Roark finished 10th in the National League Cy Young voting in 2016. Since then, his performance has steadily declined. Although he's averaging a career-high 8.81 strikeouts per nine innings, he's offsetting that with a 3.10 walk rate.

The A's can still count on Roark to be a good back-of-the-rotation starter, which is largely the limit to which anybody could've expected them to improve their pitching staff.

Based on his contract, Roark was always unlikely to see out the entire 2019 season in Cincinnati. The Reds turned him into a 21-year-old outfielder whom MLB.com ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the A's minor league system.

Hannah has spent the season in High-A, batting .283 with two home runs, 31 RBI and six stolen bases.

By getting Bauer, the Reds appear to be positioning themselves to contend in 2020. Trading Roark doesn't disrupt that plan while simultaneously adding a young player who might join the major league lineup in a few years.