CLEVELAND -- On Tuesday, the Cleveland Indians suffered a 2-0 loss to the Houston Astros.
But that didn't stop the Tribe from ending the night with a home run.
Shortly after the Indians' home loss to Houston came to an end, news broke that Cleveland had agreed to a blockbuster trade just hours prior to the July 31 deadline. In what was ultimately a three-team deal, the Indians sent pitcher Trevor Bauer to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for right fielder Yasiel Puig -- as well as infield prospect Victor Nova pitching prospect Scott Moss -- and also acquired outfielder Franmil Reyes and pitcher Logan Allen from the San Diego Padres.
Given the significant haul of what Cleveland acquired for a pitcher it was unlikely keep long-term, it didn't take long for the rave reviews to pour in.
In grading the deal for Sports Illustrated, Matt Martell gave the Indians an "A," pointing out that Cleveland had traded from a strength to address a glaring weakness.
"Even without Bauer, Cleveland’s rotation should be just fine. At the same time, the Indians needed help both in their lineup and in the outfield. Outfield production was an issue for them going into the season, before third baseman Jose Ramirez and second baseman Jason Kipnis slumped for most of the first half," Martell wrote.
"Enter Puig and Reyes, two righthanded power hitters who’ve combined for 49 home runs this season. Everyone knows about Puig, the Wild Horse, a fan favorite whose antics have at times irritated his teammates and coaching staff. He’s an ultra-competitor who’s capable of carrying teams for weeks."
For comparison's sake, Martell gave the Padres a B+ for the deal and the Reds a C+.
Joe Rivera of the Sporting News was only slightly less impressed with the Indians' haul, giving Cleveland an A-, while the Padres and Reds each earned a C+.
"The Indians still have Shane Bieber at the top of the rotation, and he has been a revelation this season. They're also expecting to get Corey Kluber back from injury in the coming weeks, and Danny Salazar is slated to return this week. Starting pitching isn't a concern," Rivera wrote.
"Even though Bauer has been the rock of the rotation this season, Cleveland is still in a good spot with regard to wild-card contention going forward. Adding Puig and Reyes should only help the offense and outfield moving forward. Make no mistake, this deal puts pressure on the rest of the pitching staff to perform over the next few weeks before Kluber makes his return, but on the surface, this is a very, very, very (three verys!) good deal for the Tribe."
Zach Kram of The Ringer didn't offer a grade for the three-team deal in the form of a letter, but still heaped plenty of praise of the Indians in his break down of the trade.
"In dealing Bauer for players who can help the team now, the Cleveland front office took advantage of an area of strength to shore up an area of weakness," he wrote. "Even without Bauer, Cleveland has the upside for the best rotation in the American League. Shane Bieber (3.40 ERA, 31.1 percent strikeout rate after Tuesday’s start) and Mike Clevinger (3.28 ERA, 37.5 percent K rate) are just as good as Bauer, if not better, and if Corey Kluber (broken arm) and Carlos Carrasco (treatment for leukemia) can return before October, the rotation would be as dominant as ever in a playoff series."
On the other hand, there were some analysts who thought the Indians didn't get the best of the deal. ESPN senior writer Keith Law proclaimed the Padres as the winners of the trade, largely because of their acquisition of Reds prospect Taylor Trammel.
Law seems high on the younger players in the trade the Indians acquired -- especially Reyes -- but opined that "this deal probably doesn't make the Indians any better on net this year."
Writing for The Athletic, former Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden took the unpopular stance that it was the Reds who won the deal, giving his former team an A, with the Padres receiving an A- and the Indians getting a B+.
"The Indians got the power they needed for this year, and the number of prospects to significantly improve their depth going forward," he wrote. "However, they didn’t get the best prospect of the trade — Trammell — and in time that could end up being their regret for this deal."