The Los Angeles Dodgers have now officially cut off any possible ties with Trevor Bauer. It was expected all along. Thus it is not much shocking to reckon with. We all know Trevor Bauer to be a Cy-Young award winner. But he was accused of sexual misconduct. At that time when the allegations came out, he was temporarily suspended.
The Dodgers have until 2 p.m. ET on Thursday to find a trading partner at large. It is simply because Bauer was designated for a particular assignment. Bauer will be then placed on an unconditional release waiver at large. It will happen if they are unable to find a trading partner. After that, he will become a free agent the following day. But there is a condition for him to clear those aspects. However, we can say that it is widely considered to be the most likely scenario.
Suspension decision
The suspension from Los Angeles was bound to come. Hence it was only a time of when and not why. What is interesting however is that from 324 games, his suspension was reduced to 194 games. An independent arbitrator did this previously. But his pay was docked for 50 games starting in 2023. Thus we got a hint a way back about how things will proceed.
The ruling gave the Dodgers 14 days to decide at large regarding a very important matter. It is whether or not to add him to their 40-man roster.
They put off making a decision until Friday’s deadline. After that we see them end up taking a path that was particularly anticipated for a long time. The Dodgers are responsible for $22.5 million currently. This figure is significant because it is what Bauer is still owed. He owes this amount overall for the final season. We find this to be an essential part of his contract.
But what is interesting is that if another team signs him on the open market there will be potential savings to reckon with. The amount they will go on to save will be $720,000. It is a very important figure to reckon with as it is the major league minimum.
The detailed statement of the team
Now we shall present the detailed statement provided by the team:
“The Dodgers organization believes that allegations of sexual assault or domestic violence should be thoroughly investigated, with due process given to the accused. From the beginning, we have fully cooperated with Major League Baseball’s investigation and strictly followed the process stipulated under MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. Two extensive reviews of all the available evidence in this case — one by [MLB] Commissioner [Rob] Manfred and another by a neutral arbitrator — concluded that Mr. Bauer’s actions warranted the longest ever active player suspension in our sport for violations of this policy. Now that this process has been completed, and after careful consideration, we have decided that he will no longer be part of our organization.”
A surprising turn of events
Albeit something in the tone of suspension was expected, no one thought of happening so soon. Hence some people in the industry as well as some fans were disappointed because of this.
Bauer had cleared a lot of legal hurdles previously and has an illustrious history in the sporting world. But collectively it came as a shock to him as well.
Conclusion
However, we can end with the stoic response of Trevor Bauer. In his own words:
“While I am disappointed by the organization’s decision today, I appreciate the wealth of support I’ve received from the Dodgers clubhouse. I wish the players all the best and look forward to competing elsewhere.”
