The Trevor Bauer legal saga continued on Thursday afternoon and came to an end, at least for now.
The Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher will not have a permanent restraining order in place against him as a result of his alleged actions with a woman earlier this year.
For those who somehow missed all of this, Bauer is accused of some gruesome acts of sexual assault.
Yet the judge seemed to side with the idea the whole relationship was consensual, even if it turned violent in nature.
Those upset with this decision should remember this was just about the restraining order.
He remains under criminal investigation and MLB still has him on administrative leave.
A woman who accused Trevor Bauer of domestic violence and sexual assault has been denied a permanent restraining order by a judge.
The Pasadena Police Department and MLB continue to investigate the allegations. https://t.co/IEi7pfretr
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 19, 2021
A Legal Win, For Now
Bauer’s camp is thrilled with this news and it ends his battle in court for the time being.
However, that could all change if charges arise from the criminal investigation against him.
That is entirely possible even with the judge’s ruling in this matter.
There is really no way of knowing what will come next until the Pasadena Police Department comes to a conclusion.
If he is charged, an MLB suspension will surely follow.
The judge in the Trevor Bauer restraining order case declined to extend that order today, finding that Bauer is only violent during sex and Bauer and his alleged victim are not going to have sex again. Today’s ruling has no impact on whatever discipline MLB might hand down.
— Molly Knight (@molly_knight) August 19, 2021
If not, the league will have to make a monumental decision on a high-profile player.
MLB Has Time To Decide
Fans admittedly have little faith in MLB to come down hard on Bauer if he is not charged with any crimes.
To some, that is the fair way to deal with such a situation.
To others, it is failing to uphold any sort of justice.
For now the league can keep Bauer on leave and just say they are waiting on the police to make a decision.
That could end up taking well beyond the end of the regular season.
It would appear the Dodgers have no desire to bring Bauer back in 2021 or ever.
That adds a whole new layer to this situation, because he signed a three-year deal with the team.
He would surely pick up his player options, meaning the team has to pay him if he isn’t suspended.
Paying someone a total of $100 million to stay at home is not great for business, but the Dodgers may be the only team rich enough to stomach such a sunk cost.
This is all stuff that will come up as time goes on, especially if charges are not filed.
But based on the evidence out there it is hard to imagine Bauer ever being welcomed back into a clubhouse with open arms.
NEXT: Grading Max Scherzer’s Time With Dodgers So Far