Los Angeles Dodgers Release Trevor Bauer

Trevor+Bauer+pitches+for+the+Cleveland+Indians.

Wikimedia Commons/Erik Drost

Trevor Bauer pitches for the Cleveland Indians.

On December 22, 2022, Trevor Bauer’s suspension was reduced to 194 games, which he had already served. On July 2, 2021, Bauer was placed on administrative leave due to MLBs Domestic Violence Policy. On April 22, 2022 he was officially suspended for 324 Games. Though a judge had dismissed the domestic violence charges submitted by Lindsey Hill and several other women, the MLB launched their own investigation and proceeded to suspend Trevor Bauer.

Trevor Bauer played College Baseball at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was awarded the PAC-12 Baseball Newcomer of the Year award after pitching a 2.99 ERA (Earned Run Average) with 105 ⅓ Innings pitched. That same year, he played for Team USA and struck out 24 batters in 17 ½ innings. Bauer has always been controversial, and at UCLA current Yankees Pitcher Gerritt Cole even told him that he “has no future in Baseball.” In high school as well his coaches did not like him as he never listened, and players at UCLA said he was bad for the clubhouse, which ironically enough is also the reason he was released by several teams.

In the 2011 MLB Draft, Bauer was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks and signed on July 25. He played in the MiLB for Visalia Rawhide, a Class-A Affiliate of the Diamondbacks. After only three appearances, he was sent up to Double-A Mobile BayBears in August 2011. He entered the 2012 season as a Top Rated Prospect and was invited to the Diamondbacks Spring Training though he wasn’t able to beat Collmenter to replace him in the teams rotation. For the start of the season he played for the BayBears, and had a 1.68 ERA and struck out 60 batters in 48 ⅓ Innings. After this spectacular performance he was promoted to the Triple-A Diamondbacks Affiliate Reno Aces and led the league in strikeouts, ERA, and wins.

On June 27, 2012, Bauer was finally brought up to the MLB. He only played with the Diamondbacks for the rest of that season before being traded to the Cleveland Indians (Now the Cleveland Guardians). He played with the team until 2019 where he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. In November 2020, he declined a $18.9 Million Dollar Qualifying Offer which officially made him a Free Agent. Bauer was eventually picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers on February 5, 2021, for a 3-year $102 million contract. He was obviously showing great skill in the Minors, without much drama as well.

Shortly after the season started, Bauer got into a sexual assault controversy and was placed on administrative leave by MLB in July 2021 and in April of 2022 he was officially suspended for 324 Games. The suspension was extremely controversial as a Los Angeles District Judge had dismissed the domestic violence case against Bauer. He continued his social media use and remains active even today on his Youtube Channel, making videos with his friends.

On December 22, 2022, Trevor Bauer had his suspension officially reduced to 194 Games by an Independent Arbitrator and that gave the Los Angeles Dodgers exactly 2 weeks to decide what they were going to do with him. On January 6, 2023, the Organization Designated Bauer for Assignment, which means he was removed from the 40-man roster and could either be sent to the Minor Leagues, traded, or released. Six days after he was Designated for Assignment, he was released by the Dodgers and officially became a Free Agent, which means any team can sign him for the League minimum of $750,000. Where Bauer could go next is disputed, but many believe a rebuilding team could try to sign him, though many also believe he won’t be signed at all due to the controversy he brought to Major League Baseball.