The arbitration case for — and against — Trevor Bauer

Photo by Tim Warner/Getty ImagesThings are about to get real petty.

Because the Cleveland Indians could not come to an agreement with Trevor Bauer over the star pitcher’s salary in 2019, the two sides will be heading to arbitration court to let a third-party judge make the decision in February. If you’re not familiar with the process, it’s a pretty bizarre one, and it’s one the Indians have been great at avoiding until recent years.

For a 20 year stretch, the Indians avoided going to court to argue a player’s worth for a year’s worth of salary. All those great players of the mid- to late-90s, and all those... other players in the early 2010s — none of them required an arbitration case. That…