The Indians have dispatched gifted young right-hander Trevor Bauer to the minors.
The 22-year-old Bauer, whom the Indians acquired in December as part of the three-way trade with the Diamondbacks and Reds, logged a 4.50 ERA in five spring appearances. He'll begin the season at the Triple-A level but will almost certainly make his way to Cleveland at some point in 2013.
One consequence of Bauer's assignment is that Scott Kazmir, whom the Indians are taking a flyer on, has an even better shot at winning the fifth-starter's job. Kazmir hasn't pitched in the majors since 2011, but not so long ago he stood as one of the most gifted young arms around. He'd certainly make for an intriguing follow, should be win the job. Carlos Carrasco is also in the mix.
As for Bauer, in parts of two minor-league seasons, he's pitched to a 3.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 2.74 K/BB ratio. Baseball Prospectus recently ranked him as the 24th-best prospect in the game.
