The Los Angeles Dodgers officially released disgraced pitcher Trevor Bauer on Thursday.
The Dodgers designated Bauer for assignment late last week. They had until January 6 to make a decision on him and, ultimately, the team parted ways and officially dropped him on Thursday morning.
The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya tweeted, “Dodgers officially released Trevor Bauer,” signaling the end for his time with the team.
Dodgers officially released Trevor Bauer.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) January 12, 2023
Los Angeles signed Bauer two years ago, but his tenure didn’t go swimmingly. MLB put Bauer on administrative leave after being accused of domestic violence and sexual assault. His accuser filed a restraining order against him in June 2021. At the beginning of the 2022 season, MLB announced a lengthy suspension for Bauer. He was suspended for 324 games, the longest suspension in MLB history.
An arbitrator cut his suspension down and ruled that he could play immediately in December. But it won’t be for the Dodgers, who have officially dropped him.
If any team signs Trevor Bauer, they have to for $720,000. According to Lindsey Adler of The Wall Street Journal, “Another team would need to pay as little as the $720,000 MLB minimum salary to sign him. Under a ‘non-duplication’ provision in the league and players’ association collective bargaining agreement, Bauer’s additional contract with another major-league team wouldn’t net him additional money; instead–assuming another club signs him for less than the $22.5 million he is owed by the Dodgers–his compensation with a new team would simply offset the amount of money he receives from Los Angeles.”
Any team is free to sign Bauer now. Whether that’s worth it is what they must weigh. Given that L.A., one of the most recognizable franchises in sports, kicked him to the curb, one has to wonder.
Unfortunately, it’s never stopped teams before and may not again.
