Bauer ready for 'fresh start' with Reds

ATLANTA -- Trevor Bauer sees Cincinnati as a second chance, one he is eager to take advantage of.

“I’m excited to be here, meeting everybody new,” said Bauer, acquired from Cleveland in a three-team deal that also included San Diego. “I have a couple of friends in the clubhouse that I’ve known for a long time, that I just have been united with. I’m excited to get going.”

Ironically, this three-team trade, which saw the Reds part with outfielder Yasiel Puig and highly touted outfield prospect Taylor Trammell, and his acquisition actually is a mulligan, of sorts for the Reds.

“It’s my second time being in a three-team trade with the Reds,” Bauer pointed out, with a laugh from in front of his corner locker in the visitors’ clubhouse at SunTrust Park, prior to Thursday’s opener of a four-game series with the National League East-leading Braves.

Bauer was traded on December 11, 2012, by Arizona to Cleveland a month shy of his 22nd birthday. The deal also involved the Reds, who parted with outfielder Drew Stubbs and shortstop Didi Gregorius and netted outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, infielder Jason Donald and cash.

The acquisition is also a second chance of sorts for Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson, who was Vanderbilt pitching coach when Bauer came out of high school and eagerly sought to go to Vandy, but head coach Tim Corbin called and offered a scholarship the day after Bauer had committed to UCLA.

Bauer has grown since that 2012 trade, going 67-53 with a 3.89 ERA in six-plus seasons in Cleveland, winning 17 games in 2017 and earning an All-Star berth in ‘18.

“It’s definitely a fresh start,” Bauer said. “I don’t like putting my past behind me. I like trying to learn from my past and be a better person, a better player, a better teammate, a better everything. It will be nice to meet new guys and start fresh, learn a new culture and contribute in any way I can, try to help out as many people as I can.”

Reds manager David Bell would be one of those people.

“He’s going to have a big impact on the rotation and our team,” said Bell. “His performances speak for themselves. He’s one of the best pitchers in the game. So, any time you can add that to what we already believe is a really strong pitching staff, it’s exciting. It’s exciting for us. I hope it’s exciting to everyone that’s a Reds fan. We have a good thing going. We’re not where we need to be, but we’re getting closer every day and Trevor’s just going to add to that.”

Bauer is 9-8 with a 3.79 ERA in 2019, and he is starting to heat up. In the eight starts prior to his shaky performance against Kansas City, he was 6-2 with a 3.06 ERA (18 earned runs in 53 innings).

Bauer believes that is the pitcher the Reds are getting, and while he doesn’t expect anyone to forget the ball he launched over the center-field fence in his final act with Cleveland, he awaits the opportunity to prove himself and hopes that people can forgive that moment he’d prefer to forget.

“I’m human. It’s nice to feel that sometimes,” Bauer said. “I spend so much time thinking I don’t generally have strong emotional reactions to very much. I’ve definitely had some strong emotional reactions this past week. So, it’s good to feel human. Obviously, I don’t want to repeat that.”

He’ll get his first chance to pitch for the Reds on Saturday in the third game of the series against the Braves, against whom he got a no-decision on April 20 in 44-degree weather, despite throwing 6 1/3 innings of two-run, three-hit ball, with 10 strikeouts.

By then, he’ll have a firmer grasp of his new teammates, although he already knows one item he’d like to connect with.

“I’d really love to take [Luis] Castillo’s changeup and learn how to throw it,” Bauer said, with a laugh. “That’s one of the first things that I’m going to be looking at. He’s fun to watch pitch. Obviously, I’ve known Sonny Gray [a teammate on Team USA] for a long time. I’ve known Amir [Garrett] a little bit. There’s a lot of really good talent here. I’m excited to join in and learn from the guys and see if I can help in any way and just contribute to the culture of the team and win ballgames.”

Aquino gets call-up
The 25-year-old Aristides Aquino, an undrafted free agent from Santo Domingo, was hitting .299 with 28 homers, 53 RBIs and a .992 OPS for Triple-A Louisville.

"With what he’s doing offensively, you get a young player like that, you don’t want to rush them. But at the same time, at some point you have to give him an opportunity," said Bell. "We felt that the timing is right, not only for our team but for him personally."

Aquino started in right field and hit sixth in Thursday’s opener vs. Atlanta.