On July 28 of last year, Trevor Bauer made a start against the Kansas City Royals, which ended with the then-Cleveland Indians pitcher launching a ball over the centerfield wall at Kauffman Stadium as he was being pulled from the game.
Two days later, the Indians traded the All-Star pitcher to the Cincinnati Reds, just ahead of the MLB's trade deadline.
According to Bauer, the timing of the trade may not have been a coincidence.
"Honestly, yeah, it might have," Bauer answered when asked if his heave played a role in him being traded while appearing on Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take podcast on Monday. "Obviously any information you have going into the deadline plays a part in decisions that are being made and emotions that are had."
It's worth noting that Bauer had been linked in trade talks prior to his tantrum vs. the Royals, as last year's trade deadline marked Cleveland's last chance to trade him before he entered his final season of arbitration in 2020. Regardless of how Bauer pitched -- or behaved -- against the Royals that day, it seemed like a reasonable possibility that it would wind up being his final start for the Indians.
That's not to say, however, that Bauer's antics didn't make Cleveland's decision any easier in the lead up to the trade deadline. And speaking to reporters after the deal was completed, Indians manager Terry Francona admitted as much.
"I had concerns what it could do to our team," Francona said of the incident. "I voiced those concerns. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit worried."
When all was said and done, the Indians opted to trade Bauer to the Reds in a three-way deal that also included the San Diego Padres. In return, Cleveland received outfielder Yasiel Puig and designated hitter Franmil Reyes -- although as it turned out, the drama wasn't done there.
"When I got traded, Puig was in that same trade and he was involved in that Amir Garrett-Pirates brawl," Bauer said. "I'm getting traded to the Reds, Puig has been traded to the Indians but is currently brawling with the Pirates. I think the Reds' Twitter [account] came out and the tweet was, 'A lot's going on right now.'"