CLEVELAND — 24 hours after being traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Cincinnati Reds in a three-team deal, Trevor Bauer held a surprise farewell press conference at Progressive Field.
Bauer, who spoke for about 15 minutes on Wednesday evening, touched on several topics with members of the Cleveland media.
When asked what his legacy will be in Cleveland after seven seasons with the Tribe, the 28-year-old Bauer replied, "I hope my legacy will be defined by the fans and the people I've met here. It'll be different for every person based on what they know about me."
"At the end of the day, I am myself, to a fault. There are good parts, bad parts, and middle parts about everyone. I'd like everyone to know that I was true to myself, passionate about the game, and tried to help as many people as I could while I was here. Am I perfect, no? Far from it," Bauer added.
Bauer leaves the Tribe just days after making headlines for throwing a ball over the center field wall in the Indians' loss to the Kansas City Royals. The right-hander will reportedly be fined as a result of the toss, which came as he was removed from the contest after surrendering a lead in the fifth inning.
On Wednesday afternoon, Indians manager Terry Francona admitted that he had some reservations about the aftermath of Bauer's actions. "I had concerns what it could do to our team," Francona said. "I voiced those concerns. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit worried."
Hours later, Bauer was asked to respond. After pondering the question, Bauer paused, smiled, and said, "Well I'm not on the team so none of that really matters. Believe what you will."
As my colleague Ben Axelrod wrote earlier on Wednesday, 'while Bauer's decision to chuck a ball over an outfield wall may not define his legacy with the Indians, it did feel like a fitting end to the polarizing pitcher's Cleveland tenure. Despite his indisputable talent, the 2018 All-Star selection's career has been dotted with no shortage of controversy, ranging from drone accidents to accusations of harassment on social media.'
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Watch Trevor Bauer's entire press conference in the player above