Cincinnati Reds: Trevor Bauer should get his way and pitch on three days rest
Trevor Bauer wants the ball as much as he can get in this shortened season. The Cincinnati Reds should oblige this request.
We are used to Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer being in the news. In fact, I think I’ve written more pieces about Bauer than on any other individual ballplayer in the league. At times I am at odds with his foolishness and other times I think he’s on top of his game.
In his latest headline-making statement I am going to file it under, this guy knows what he is talking about.
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Bauer wants to pitch on three days’ rest. He wants to take the mound every fourth day. In this sixty game season, with limited off days, sending Bauer to the hill with limited rest could put a lot of strain on his arm.
It could also benefit the team greatly.
The Reds went all in this offseason. They brought in Nick Castellanos and Mike Moustakas to go along with Aristides Aquino to provide some pop in the lineup. Wade Miley was the only pitcher picked up for the starting rotation and he struggled mightily towards the end of last year for the Houston Astros.
The Reds are going to want their best pitchers on the mound as much as possible. If Bauer can be one of those arms, he should be out there more than not.
He’ll need to improve on the 6.39 earned run average and 1.35 WHIP he put forth last season after being acquired in a trade from the Cleveland Indians. Those numbers could be attributed to pitching in a new league and not knowing the hitters as well as he did in the American League.
Reds manager David Bell thinks Bauer looks good in the early going of “summer camp”.
"Obviously, it’s not a true game situation, but guys were competing hard against him. I thought it was a good test for him. The velocity was there, all his pitches were working, so he’s right on track."
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While Trevor Bauer is owed a prorated $17.5M this year, he is a free agent at season’s end. The Cincinnati Reds should not be focused on saving his arm to pitch for another organization next year. If he is willing to throw every fourth day, and he is dealing, then the Reds should be sending him out every fourth day.