Dodgers designate Bauer for assignment
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers introduced on Friday that they’d designated for task right-handed pitcher Trevor Bauer, who simply completed serving a 194-game suspension for violating the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.
“The Dodgers organization believes that allegations of sexual assault or domestic violence should be thoroughly investigated, with due process given to the accused,” the Dodgers wrote in an announcement. “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 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.”
Independent arbitrator Martin F. Scheinman affirmed that Bauer violated the home violence coverage whereas reducing Bauer’s suspension from 324 video games to 194 video games on Dec. 22. That discount made Bauer eligible for rapid reinstatement since he had already missed 243 video games between his time on administrative depart and the 144 video games he served beneath suspension in 2022.
The Dodgers had till Friday to find out whether or not to put Bauer again on the energetic 40-man roster or let him go. They held organizational conferences, together with some with clubhouse leaders, over the past 14 days earlier than making their remaining determination.
The membership has seven days to commerce Bauer, and if he’s not traded, he will likely be positioned on unconditional launch waivers. If no staff claims him, he’ll change into a free agent.
Barring a commerce, the Dodgers will owe Bauer $22.5 million for the upcoming season. This was to be the ultimate season of his three-year, $102 million contract.
Bauer, who will flip 32 on Jan. 17, was the primary participant to attraction a suspension beneath the home violence coverage. While lowered, it’s nonetheless the longest suspension handed down beneath the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence Policy, which was enacted in 2015.
Bauer was initially positioned on paid administrative depart after a San Diego girl accused him of sexual assault throughout two sexual encounters in 2021. The girl additionally submitted a short lived ex parte restraining order in opposition to him. Bauer maintained he did nothing flawed, saying the encounters had been consensual.
A Los Angeles Superior Court choose denied the restraining order. In February 2022, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office introduced that it will not pursue a prison case in opposition to Bauer.
MLB performed a separate investigation of its personal to find out if Bauer violated the league’s home violence coverage. Under the joint home violence coverage agreed upon by MLB and the MLBPA, the Commissioner’s Office has the flexibility to droop a participant even when he has not been charged or convicted in courtroom.
