Bauer arbitration verdict could reportedly happen this week

CLEVELAND– A decision in Trevor Bauer’s arbitration case is expected to come down this week.

Per a report from Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com, the Indians and Bauer argued their cases on Thursday in Phoenix in front of a three-man panel. The Indians offered Bauer $5.3 million, while he has asked for $6.525 million. Bauer made $3.55 million last season.

According to Hoynes’ report, there would normally have been a decision made by now. However, in this case, the panel may have reached a verdict and are choosing to not make it public in order to avoid influencing other ongoing arbitration cases. As Hoynes points out, Toronto’s Marcus Stroman, Baltimore’s Kevin Gausman and Tampa Bay’s Jake Odorizzi are all pitchers who could be affected by Bauer’s ruling.

Last season, the 27-year-old right-hander really came into his own ending the year with a 17-9 record. He recorded a 4.19 ERA with 196 strikeouts in 176 1/3 innings. From late July onward, Bauer was dominant, going 10-1 with a 2.60 ERA and earned his first career postseason win in Game 1 of the ALDS.

This is the first time the Indians have gone to arbitration with a player since they did so in 2014 with both Josh Tomlin and Vinny Pestano. The team won both cases.