In light of his involvement in a sexual assault case, MLB pitcher Trevor Bauer was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He made 17 starts for the Dodgers in 2021 before being placed on administrative leave when the case became public.
He faced an investigation, both from the law and from the league.
While the former didn’t see a reason to press for criminal charges, the latter decided to suspend him for two seasons in April 2022.
A few days ago, however, Bauer’s suspension was reduced from 324 games to 194 by an independent arbitrator.
It means Bauer can return to play within the first two months of the 2023 campaign.
It won’t be with the Dodgers, however.
Why did the team DFA him and not release him altogether?
MLB insider Jon Heyman explains.
“A factor in the Dodgers’ decision to DFA Trevor Bauer rather than just release him is it gives the team a chance to direct where he goes. It’s uncertain how likely a trade is but he’s obviously a talent so presumably they’d prefer not to face him in division,” he tweeted.
A factor in the Dodgers’ decision to DFA Trevor Bauer rather than just release him is it gives the team a chance to direct where he goes. It’s uncertain how likely a trade is but he’s obviously a talent so presumably they’d prefer not to face him in division.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 9, 2023
The key words here are “it gives the team a chance to direct where he goes.”
A chance.
If nobody in the league will want to give up even a mediocre prospect for Bauer (it goes without saying that nobody is probably touching him on something much higher than the league minimum, which means the Dodgers are stuck paying most of his salary), the Dodgers will have to release him and lose control over his next destiny.
It’s not clear how much of a trade market Bauer can generate given the circumstances, but even with the legal (and moral) issues, he remains an incredible pitcher.
Evidently, the Dodgers wouldn’t want the San Diego Padres or the San Francisco Giants getting him.
The 2020 NL Cy Young‘s new home remains one of the storylines to watch from here until the start of spring training.
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