Trevor Bauer Pitches Against Dodgers Prospects; Voices His Frustration over Remaining Unsigned
Over the weekend, pitcher Trevor Bauer threw live at-bats against some of the Los Angeles Dodgers prospects at the Dodgers’ minor-league complex in Phoenix, Arizona. Bauer has not pitched against professional hitters in the United States since the 2021 season with the Dodgers. Amid that 2021 season, Bauer was given the MLB’s longest suspension in the era of the league’s policy against domestic and sexual abuse. The original suspension, handed down in April 2022, was for 324 games, but an independent arbitrator eventually reduced it to 194 games. However, even today, Bauer has yet to be formally charged by any of the four women who accused him of the assault.
Bauer used this weekend’s appearance as both an opportunity to showcase his skills as a former Cy Young Award winner and a chance to speak his mind on his whole situation. “I’m just asking for the league minimum, so it's not a money thing. I’ve served my suspension twice over. I’ve been cleared of everything in the legal system,” Bauer said to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. It is entirely possible that Bauer’s looming legal issues could still be a significant red flag to MLB teams that might consider signing him, but there are other factors to consider as well. In 2020, when Bauer was with the Cincinnati Reds, he became viral on social media for his daily vlogs of what he was doing at the stadium, in the weight room, on the mound, at home, and more. While this was a massive success on social media, Bauer received backlash from MLB teams and front offices about showing all the stuff that goes on, and some people viewed this as a distraction to the team. Another factor could just be his age. Bauer is 33 years old, and it is reasonable to question if he can return to his prime years with Cleveland and Cincinnati.
He attempted to put those age questions at least to rest this past season when he pitched in Japan for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Bauer threw well for the BayStars in his first professional season in two years. He had a 2.76 ERA in 130.2 innings pitched. He also struck out 130 batters to only 31 walks. With those respectable numbers, his desire to play for cheap, and the legal issues seemingly subsided, it is odd to see Trevor Bauer still unsigned by an MLB team. Bauer also expressed his frustration over not being signed: "There is no reason I shouldn't have a job. But I don’t. So, it is what it is. We’ll see how it plays out,” Bauer said. The need for starting pitching depth will always be a significant focus among MLB teams, so it would not be surprising to see a team take a chance on Bauer at some point in 2024.
