Bauer’s uncertain future

LOS ANGELES — Now that baseball’s BIG problem has been solved, all the little problems can bubble to the service. Chief among them for Dodger fans has to be the status of Trevor Bauer. The 2020 Cy Young winner is still on administrative leave from the game while MLB completes their investigation into the sexual assault charges that occurred in the first half of last season .

Let’s separate his ability to throw the baseball from the situation for a minute. I’ve seen a lot of online commentary along the lines of “We need another starter.” This is the absolute last thing that should be on Dodger fans mind in the situation. To me the only question is “Does Trevor Bauer deserve to pitch for the Dodgers?”

MLB still investigating

When this all went down in the middle of last season, I laid down a pretty clear marker. I wrote in a post that if he were charged with anything, he should be immediately released. Well, now the Pasadena police department has wrapped up their investigation and he hasn’t been charged with anything. So now what?

Well, MLB in their classic “kick the can down the road” strategy, just extended Bauer’s leave for another week while the investigation continues. Bauer made his full $38 million salary in 2021 despite spending half the season on administrative leave and can make up to $47 million in 2022.

Prior to the revelation that Bauer had been placed back on administrative leave, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked whether the pitcher would be in camp and didn’t rule out the possibility. “I don’t want to completely close the door on him potentially being in spring training because I just don’t know enough,” Roberts said at the time.

This needs to come to an end, one way or another

Clearly MLB owes it to the Dodgers to come to a decision regarding the case quickly, so the team can make any player personnel moves based on what is decided. It seems to me that absent any criminal charges, there isn’t much basis for banning Bauer from ever playing again. The most appropriate punishment would seem to be a long suspension for “conduct damaging to baseball” or some such thing. And if it can be worked out financially, it would make sense for the suspension to start retroactively since Bauer has already missed three months of baseball.

Of late, MLB has been handing down increasingly severe punishments for domestic violence cases. Yankees pitcher Domingo German served an 81-gamer for a 2019 incident with a girlfriend that did not involve the police. And the most recent penalty was a full season suspension for former Giants reliever Same Dyson after his former girlfriend accused him of a pattern of abusive behavior. Again, it seems like no police were involved in that incident, either.

What about Bauer?

So where does that leave Bauer? Of course, let’s get this out of the way first. What Bauer did was at minimum monumentally stupid. You don’t agree to have rough sex with someone you barely know when you’re a 30-million-dollar-a-year member of one of the most respected franchises in sports (You probably shouldn’t do it even if you’re not, take it from Uncle Steve). Of course, the league doesn’t want to get into the business of policing the sex lives of their players, but clearly this case is special. Either because of miscommunication or malice, Bauer stepped way over a line, and he’s got to suffer the consequences for it.

To me a full-season suspension without pay seems about right. Bauer last pitched on June 28, 2021, the 79th game of the season. If he serves a full 162 starting then, he would be eligible to play again just before the All-Star break.

The only question then is whether or not the Dodgers want him back. There was talk last year that the incident had turned the clubhouse against him. He was already a bit of an oddball on the Dodgers’ roster, but nobody wants to be seen as buddying up to a domestic abuser, so the rest of the team was very silent about Trevor Bauer for the entire year. Whether or not they have changed their opinion over the last few months remains to be seen.

I feel like Bauer brought all this on himself. But, if he’s suspended and “pays his debt” (to baseball at least), I can’t see a reason not to have him on the team. Or at the very least he can be used as trade bait at the deadline if his suspension is lifted by then.

We’ll keep an eye on this, and keep you posted throughout the course of this mess.
Ugh. Now, I need to take a shower.