Trevor Bauer wins arbitration case

CLEVELAND– Trevor Bauer became the first Cleveland Indians player to win an arbitration case since 1991 on Thursday.

Granted, the Indians don’t go to arbitration often. Before Bauer this year, the last time they did so was in 2014 with Josh Tomlin and Vinny Pestano, winning both cases. Prior to that, the team hadn’t gone to arbitration since 1991 with Greg Swindell, who won his case, and second baseman Jerry Browne lost.

Bauer’s hearing took place a week ago, but the result was held until today because of the potential impact it could have on pitchers in similar arbitration cases.

Bauer won 17 games last season, with a 4.19 ERA with 196 strikeouts in 176 1/3 innings. In the closing months of the season, he was dominant with a 10-1 stretch that began in late July. He also posted a 2.60 ERA in that timeframe.

Last year, Bauer made $3.55 million. This year, he will receive $6.525 million. The Indians initially offered him $5.3 million.