Sports360AZ
The excitement level for the Diamondbacks and their fans was at a fever pitch when pitcher Trevor Bauer arrived on the scene last season.
His unorthodox pre-game throwing ritual endeared him to some, and garnered some scowls from others, but he continued to do it, despite pleas from the team to turn it down a notch.
So many things were said and thought about Bauer. Was he coachable? Was he a cancer in the clubhouse? Would he listen to instructions? Is he a spoiled brat?
Not the kind of questions you want asked about you when you come in so highly heralded as Bauer did.
Clearly the marriage between the Diamondbacks and Bauer was strained to the point where the team had to make a move when they could to get Bauer out to a new team and get some good return for him.
He was dealt to the Cleveland Indians last December, as part of a three-team deal which saw the Diamondbacks net first baseman Lars Anderson and pitcher Tony Sipp from the Indians and shortstop Didi Gregorius from the Cincinnati Reds.
Anderson was recently claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox, leaving Arizona with Sipp and Gregorius from Bauer’s deal.
I took a trip to Indians camp in Goodyear, Ariz., on Wednesday and talked to Bauer about his time with the Diamondbacks and what he thought of it, being that it lasted just four starts.
“I’m really thankful for them giving me the opportunity to play professional baseball and drafting me and all the opportunities they gave me,” Bauer said. “I learned a lot from being in the organization.”
Seemingly, with all the talent in the world, it should’ve been a much longer union between Bauer and the Diamondbacks, but that didn’t happen.
Bauer thinks the trade was more of a business move than for the fact that things just didn’t mesh between he and the organization.
“That’s the business we play in,” Bauer said. “I understand it and hopefully it works out well for them and for me.”
Catcher Miguel Montero stirred up a bit of a hornet’s nest recently, when on a local radio show, in so many words, he said Bauer had a bit of a hearing problem last season when they worked together, meaning he was too headstrong for his own good.
Bauer chose to respond to Montero’s comments with a bit comedic relief.
“Maybe I should use more Q-Tips and clean my ears out a little bit,” Bauer said. “No hard feelings there, if he wants to talk and say stuff, that’s fine, it’s alright, we can say whatever we want.”
Bauer is excited for a fresh new start with the Indians and the move to the American League.
“I’m just trying to get healthy right now, [and] make sure I stay healthy throughout the year,” Bauer said.
“I think we have a really good group of guys here, everyone’s getting ready to get after it and its gonna be a fun year.”
