Indians Trade Bauer to Reds, Acquire Puig, Reyes

The Cleveland Indians traded starter Trevor Bauer to the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. They acquired outfielders Yasiel Puig from Cincinnati and Franmil Reyes from San Diego as part of a three-team deal that included the Padres.

Left-handed 22-year-old reliever Logan Allen, minor league infielder Victor Nova and left-handed pitching prospect Scott Moss are also headed to Cleveland from the Padres. Minor league outfielder Taylor Trammell, formerly of the Reds and one of the highest-rated prospects in baseball, was sent to the Padres in the exchange.

Bauer, an All-Star in 2018 and the biggest name in the three-team swap, posted a 3.79 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 185 strikeouts in 156 2/3 innings this season. He has not pitched as effectively as he did in last year's breakout campaign. 

Trevor Bauer was sent to the Reds in a blockbuster deal. (USA Today Sports Image)

With Bauer set to become a free agent after the 2020 season, the small-market Indians wanted to deal the mercurial right-hander before he eventually hit the open market. 

The eccentric Bauer had a disastrous final outing with Cleveland, chucking the ball over center field after he was taken out of the game by manager Terry Francona in a loss to the lowly Kansas City Royals. Bauer surrendered eight runs (seven earned) in 4.1 innings in the defeat and took his frustrations out in embarrassing fashion.

After giving up a go-ahead, 2-run single, Trevor Bauer chucked the ball... over the centerfield wall 😳

(via @FSKansasCity) pic.twitter.com/s3LNn7kLzf

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 28, 2019

One of the best strikeout pitchers in baseball, the Reds hope the 28-year-old Bauer will be a key piece of the future in their rebuild.

By acquiring Puig and Reyes, the Indians are adding much-needed power to their lineup. Puig mashed 22 homers with 61 RBIs across 91 games for the Reds. Reyes launched 27 homers and added 46 RBIs in 99 contests with the Padres. The Indians' corner outfielders have combined for just 28 homers thus far in 2019.

The Indians (62-43) hold the American League's top wild-card spot and trail the Minnesota Twins by just two games in the AL Central.

Red Sox Interested in Ken Giles, Kirby Yates

The Boston Red Sox are in serious need of bullpen assistance. Their relievers have combined to rank 18^th in MLB among bullpen ERA—blowing the fourth-most saves (18) in baseball and holding the third-worst save percentage (52.63).

Looking to address their bullpen woes, the Red Sox are reportedly interested in Toronto Blue Jays closer Ken Giles. They also are pursuing Kirby Yates of the San Diego Padres, though it seems unlikely he gets moved before the MLB trade deadline on July 31.

Yates, the 32-year-old All-Star, is under contract through the 2020 season. Yates has a major-league best 31 saves in 33 opportunities this season. He boasts a 1.05 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 70 strikeouts in 43 innings.

The Padres (47-52) have underachieved this season, but plan on competing in the NL West next year after signing Manny Machado in the offseason to compliment a roster flushed with young talent. The Red Sox would need to fork over significant assets to San Diego to acquire Yates.

A more reasonable target, Giles is also under team control through next season, but the Blue Jays (38-63) are in full-rebuild mode and are looking to stockpile young players. Giles owns a dazzling 1.64 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 57/10 K/BB ratio over 33 innings with the Blue Jays this season. The 28-year-old has 14 saves in 15 opportunities.

The Red Sox are pursuing Ken Giles in trade talks. (Evan Habeeb/USA Today Sports)

The Red Sox announced last week that Nathan Eovaldi would be the primary closer moving forward. The right-hander—who was activated from the 60-day injured list on Saturday after undergoing elbow surgery—was arguably the team’s most valuable player last postseason. He registered a 1.61 ERA in six appearances (two starts) across 22.1 innings in the playoffs, recording two wins against one loss to help the Red Sox capture the 2018 World Series.

If the Red Sox were to acquire a proven closer such as Yates or Giles, Eovaldi would presumably be moved into a setup role or back into the starting rotation.   

Red Sox Designate Eduardo Nuñez for Assignment

The Boston Red Sox designated utility man Eduardo Nuñez for assignment on Monday, likely ending his tenure with the franchise he helped win the World Series last year. 

The infielder hit just .228 with only two homers in 60 games with Boston this season.

Boston acquired Nunez from the San Francisco Giants prior to the 2017 trade deadline. He caught fire at the tail end of the 2017 season with Boston, hitting .321 with a .892 OPS. He mashed eight home runs with 27 RBIs in 38 games to help the Red Sox win the AL East. 

Nunez will be remembered most for his pinch-hit three-run homer in Game 1 of the 2018 World Series at Fenway Park. Facing off against Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Alex Wood, Nunez cranked a home run over the Green Monster in left field, sending the Fenway faithful into a frenzy. 

NOON TIME.#WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/IFWyZwsix1

— MLB (@MLB) October 24, 2018

His three-run shot put the Red Sox ahead for good in the series-opening win. The Red Sox ultimately defeated the Dodgers in five games in the Fall Classic to capture the 2018 World Series title. 

Nunez appeared in 225 regular-season games for the Red Sox over two-plus seasons, hitting .268 with 20 home runs and 91 RBIs. He accumulated 18 stolen bases.

Despite being designated for assignment, Nunez had nothing but positive words to say about the Red Sox and their fans.

"I’d like to thank all Red Sox fans for all the great moments we shared and the amazing experience of being World Champions," Nunez said to ESPN's Marly Rivera. "I only have positive things to say about the Red Sox organization, and I know my career will go on.”

Kemba Walker to Sign 4-Year Deal with Celtics

Kemba Walker has told the Charlotte Hornets of his intention to sign with the Boston Celtics when free agency officially begins. Walker will finalize a formal agreement for a four-year, $141 million deal with the Celtics, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Walker averaged 25.6 points, 5.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds last season, playing in all 82 games. The 29-year-old three-time All-Star earned All-NBA Third Team Honors last year, his best season as a pro. Walker spent the first eight years of his career in Charlotte, reaching the playoffs just twice. The Hornets failed to put sufficient talent around the talented point guard. Walker is the only Hornets' player to make an All-Star team since he was drafted ninth overall in 2011.

Boston can renounce the rights to restricted free agent point guard Terry Rozier to clear the necessary cap space to ink Walker to a max contract. Walker will replace All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who plans to leave the Celtics after just two seasons to join the Brooklyn Nets. Irving has an agreement in place with the Nets on a four-year, $141 million contract.

All-Star Kemba Walker will sign with the Celtics and replace the departing Kyrie Irving as Boston's starting point guard. (AP Photo)

The Hornets declined to offer the supermax contract to Walker, paving the way for the former UConn star to leave in free agency. Charlotte's unwillingness to move Walker at last season's trade deadline could set the franchise back for years. Walker was the team's only attractive asset, yet management opted to keep him in an attempt to reach the postseason. Charlotte failed to reach its goal and missed the playoffs for the third straight season.

As for Walker, he finally gets the chance to play with formidable talent. He is set to join a starting lineup that will include Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and former All-Star Gordon Hayward. 

MLB All-Star Game 2019: Starters Selections

The starters for the 2019 All-Star Game will be selected on June 27 at 7 p.m. ET. Here are my selections for the Summer Classic, which takes place on July 9 in Cleveland, Ohio.

*Photos via MLB.com

American League Notes

Carlos Santana leads AL first basemen in OPS, OBS, slugging, hits (82), walks (57) and Wins Above Replacement (2.8). He ranks second in HRs (18) and batting (.290).

Tommy La Stella has 16 home runs this season (most among AL 2B) after hitting just 10 homers over the first 900 plate appearances of his career.

Jorge Polanco leads AL SS in batting (.321), hits (99) and WAR (3.8).

Mike Trout ranks first in the American League in WAR (5.2). 

Gary Sanchez has smashed 23 home runs, second overall in the American League and easily the most among AL catchers.

National League Notes

Josh Bell leads MLB in RBIs (68) and ranks first among NL first basemen in slugging and OPS.

Ketel Marte leads the NL in hits (100). He is batting .316 with 20 home runs and 51 RBIs.

Cody Bellinger (MLB-high .354 batting average with 26 HRs and 63 RBIs) and Christian Yelich (.332 batting average with an MLB-best 29 HRs and 63 RBIs) have been the two best players in baseball through the first three months of the season.

NBA Free Agency 2019: Top-20 Players on Market

NBA free agency begins on June 30. To set the stage, rankings are provided below of the best players available (including restricted free agents and players with a team or player option) ahead of this summer's hectic free agency period.

*Photos courtesy of HoopsHype.com

1. Kawhi Leonard

The 2019 Finals MVP is the best player in basketball.

2. Kevin Durant 

The two-time Finals MVP is expected to miss the entire 2019-20 season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.

3. Kemba Walker

Walker earned All-NBA Third Team honors after registering 25.6 points per contest.

4. Kyrie Irving

Irving had the best regular season of his career, but flatlined in the playoffs. He missed 14 or more shots in each of the Celtics' final four postseason contests—all losses.

5. Jimmy Butler

Butler, acquired midseason by the 76ers, elevated his play in the postseason, executing best with the ball in his hands as the point forward.

6. Khris Middleton 

A first-time All-Star in 2019, Middleton helped the Bucks win a league-high 60 games.

7. Klay Thompson

A torn ACL could sideline Thompson for the season, but the five-time All-Star will still likely receive a max contract offer from the Warriors.

8. D'Angelo Russell (Restricted)

   

Russell attained All-Star honors in 2019 and finished second in the voting for the Most Improved Player award, trailing only Toronto's Pascal Siakam.

9. Tobias Harris

Harris averaged career-highs in points (20.0), rebounds (7.9), assists (2.8) and field goal percentage (48.7%). He played in all 82 games between the Clippers and 76ers.

10. Al Horford

The 33-year-old was a critical cog in the Celtics' consecutive runs to the Conference Finals in 2017 and 2018, but like his teammates, underperformed in 2019. He made one All-Star appearance in three seasons in Boston, which is expected to lose the big man in free agency.

11. Nikola Vucevic

Vucevic had a phenomenal regular season—registering career-bests with 20.8 points and 12 rebounds per contest—but was a total no-show in Orlando's first-round playoff defeat (11.2 points per game, 36.2 percent shooting).
12. Malcolm Brogdon (Restricted)

The former Rookie of the Year and restricted free agent guard, Brogdon became the eighth player in league history to join the 50-40-90 club—shooting 50.5% from the field, 92.8% on free throws and 42.6% from 3-point land.
13. Kristaps Porzingis (Restricted)

The 7-foot-3 big man hasn't played since February 6, 2018, then as a member of the Knicks. Expect the former All-Star to remain with the Dallas Mavericks.
14. DeMarcus Cousins

A four-time All-Star, Cousins endured an injury-riddled 2018-19 campaign.
15. Bojan Bogdanovic

Bogdanovic averaged 18 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 42.5% on 3-pointers in a career season.
16. Marc Gasol (Player Option)

Gasol played an instrumental role in the Raptors' elusive championship. He can accept his player option for this season to earn roughly $25.6 million with Toronto.
*Update: Gasol exercised his player option to remain with the Raptors.
17. Paul Millsap (Team Option)

Millsap is the Nuggets' defensive anchor. When Millsap was on the floor, Denver had a 107.3 defensive rating, which would have ranked eighth in the league over the course of an entire season. When he sat, the defensive rating plummeted to 111.9, which would have ranked 22nd in the NBA. 
*Update: Denver exercised its team option on Millsap.
18. JJ Redick

Redick accumulated a career-best 18.1 points per game last season, despite being a part of a loaded 76ers starting-5 in which he was almost always the fifth option on offense.
19. Harrison Barnes

Barnes surprisingly declined a $25.1 million player option with the Kings for next season. Barnes, 27, is a strong-boded defender who can score when called upon.
20. Julius Randle

In his first season in New Orleans, Randle registered a career-high in scoring with 21.4 points per contest with a 55.5 effective field goal percentage. He did, however, account for the third-worst Defensive Real Plus-Minus among centers in the NBA.

Al Horford Opts Out of Contract

Al Horford is officially a free agent.

The Boston Celtics center will not exercise his $30.1 million option for the 2019-20 season and will become an unrestricted free agent, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Boston Celtics center Al Horford will not exercise the $30.1M option on his 2019-20 contract and become an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell ESPN. Horford and the Celtics both have interest in working toward a new deal in July, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 18, 2019

Horford has spent the last three seasons with the Celtics after signing with the franchise in 2016. He earned an All-Star nod in his second season with the Celtics and played a critical role in their consecutive runs to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017 and 2018.

Horford declined his $30.1 million player option. (AP Photo)

Before joining Boston, Horford played the first nine years of his career with the Atlanta Hawks, attaining four All-Star selections.

Reports initially claimed that the 33-year-old five-time All-Star was interested in returning to Boston on a new contract. Horford could help Boston's salary-cap flexibility by inking a new, less expensive deal. However, according to Wojnarowski, the two sides could not come to an agreement and Horford is now expected to leave the Celtics and find a new home in free agency. 

Horford averaged 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 blocks in 29 minutes per contest last season.