Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer suspended 2 seasons over sex assault allegations
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer has been suspended two full seasons over allegations of sexual assault.
Major League Baseball handed down the 324-game suspension on Friday.
The announcement came after a new article was published in the Washington Post Friday in which a third accuser came forward.
The woman claimed to have dated Bauer back in 2013, when he was still in the minor leagues in the then-Cleveland Indians organization, detailing acts of non-consensual and violent sexual acts, during consensual sex.
Bauer only has less than two years left on his three-year, $102 million dollar contract with the Dodgers meaning he may never play for the team again.
The Dodgers immediately released a statement in response to the suspension.
"Today we were informed that MLB has concluded its investigation into allegations that have been made against Trevor Bauer, and the Commissioner has issued his decision regarding discipline," the Dodgers wrote. "The Dodgers organization takes all allegations of this nature very seriously and does not condone or excuse any acts of domestic violence or sexual assault. We've cooperated fully with MLB's investigation since it began, and we fully support MLB's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy, and the Commissioner's enforcement of the Policy. We understand that Trevor has the right to appeal the Commissioner's decision. Therefore, we will not comment further until the process is complete."
Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts responded to questions about the suspension Friday evening saying, "We've kind of been in the mind of just focusing on the guys here and the teams we are playing so it really doesn't change our mindset at all as far as guys in the clubhouse."
When asked if he was shocked at the number of games Bauer will miss Roberts replied, "I really have no comment on that. It's out of all of our hands."
Bauer has been on administrative leave since July 2021 when the Pasadena Police Department confirmed it was investigating an allegation that Bauer sexually assaulted a San Diego woman at his home on two separate occasions, on April 21 and May 16.
In February, Los Angeles County prosecutors announced they would not be filing criminal charges in the case.
CBS reporters spoke with Stan Goldman, an attorney familiar with the legal side of the sporting world.
"The league is not bound by the same principal of proof beyond the reasonable doubt," Goldman said, indicating that this case was far from over, especially with Bauer planning to continue fighting. "There could be grounds for perhaps a lawsuit on Bauer's part if they conclude they're just not being fair to him."
Bauer took to Twitter Friday afternoon to say that he would appeal the suspension.
In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league’s domestic violence & sexual assault policy. I am appealing this action and expect to prevail. As we have throughout this process, my representatives & I respect the confidentiality of the proceedings.
— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) April 29, 2022
The Dodgers returned to Dodger Stadium to start their three game series against the Detroit Tigers — still without Bauer.
As expected, fans were outraged at the unexpected turn of events, many of which could be seen wearing "Free Bauer" jerseys Friday evening.
"I think it's outrageous," said one fan.
After winning the 2020 Cy Young Award, Bauer was awarded with his first ever multi-year deal, outside of the entry-level contract he signed out of college.
The Dodgers gave him an astounding $102 million for just three years, making him one of baseball's highest-paid players per year.
Now, with the likelihood of him suiting up in Dodger Blue slim to none, fans aren't sure what to make of the surprise decision by MLB.
I think the punishment is a little harsh there are other players who committed other erroneous crimes and are still playing," said Cynthia Salas, another fan in attendance at Friday's game.
The topic has divided baseball fans for the greater part of the last two years, and some fans were happy to see Major League Baseball bring the hammer down on Bauer.
"I fully support this decision and I've been waiting for it for a long time," another fan said. "I think his presence hurt the morale of the team and I think we're better than that."
Bauer has since provided additional rebuttals to the recent Washington Post article via Twitter.
In his lone season with the Dodgers, Bauer started 17 games, going 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 107.2 innings pitched.