So here's one way to prevent sign stealing: Just tell the batter what's coming.

That's what Reds right-hander Trevor Bauer did at points during his Cactus League outing against the Dodgers at Goodyear Ballpark on Monday. Bauer used the traditional glove sign for whatever pitch he was about to throw to Dodgers hitter Matt Beaty in the 4th inning, just as if he was signaling to his catcher what was coming while warming up between innings.

It all worked out just fine, too -- Beaty flew out to center field, and Bauer ended up tossing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen, giving up two hits and striking out two. He struck out Enrique Hernández swinging and A.J. Pollock looking in the sixth.

After noticing Bauer using the glove signs, Reds television reporter Jim Day inquired about it with a friend of Bauer's in the dugout, Derek Dietrich.

"If you've followed baseball this offseason, there's a little thing going on with sign stealing," Dietrich said, referring to MLB's investigation into sign-stealing allegations against the Astros and Red Sox. "Trevor's not too fond of it, so he figured he's gonna try something new this season, and he's gonna start telling batters what's coming -- just, here it comes, try to hit it."

While it worked from the fourth through sixth innings Monday, it might not be advisable to do it all the time.

"Trevor's always gonna do something crazy," Dietrich said. "We enjoy him."