Editor’s note: This story contains vivid accounts of domestic violence and sexual assault. If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault or domestic violence, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or the Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
After his 324-game ban was reduced to 194 games for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy and he was reinstated, Trevor Bauer is parting ways with the Dodgers.
The franchise releases a statesment Friday night and said it “fully cooperated with MLB’s investigation and strictly followed the process under MLB’s joint policy on domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.”
“Now that this process is complete, after careful consideration, we have decided that he will no longer be part of our organization,” the statement said read.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that Los Angeles has designated Bauer for action and he can sign and play with any MLB team for the minimum of $720,000. The franchise will reportedly owe him $22.5 million with the move. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.comThe Dodgers have until 2:00 p.m. ET Thursday to trade him and he must be placed on unconditional waivers after that time.
When a franchisor fails to claim Bauer, he becomes a free agent. Bauer’s suspension had been reduced to 194 games by an independent referee, which essentially credited him for time worked and qualified him for the pitch in 2023.
Bauer, who turns 32 this month, has not served since June 2021 during his administrative leave before eventually receiving the suspension. It remains the longest domestic violence suspension in MLB history.
Farmer tweeted a statement saying that his representatives — Jon Fetterolf, Shawn Holley and Rachel Luba — spoke to Dodgers leadership immediately after the franchise made its arbitration decision.
“Following two weeks of discussions about my return to the organization, I sat down yesterday with the Dodgers leadership in Arizona, who told me they wanted me to return and propose for the team this year,” the statement read read. “While I am disappointed with the organization’s decision today, I appreciate the tremendous support I have received from the Dodgers clubhouse. I wish the players all the best and look forward to competing elsewhere.”
MLB suspended Bauer in April for two full seasons after a nine-month investigation that began when a San Diego woman filed a request for a restraining order against him on June 29, 2021. The woman said Bauer assaulted her in two encounters that began consensually with rough sex. She said he choked her until she passed out, sodomized her, and beat her so hard that she required treatment at a hospital.
“I felt like my soul was leaving my body and I was scared,” the woman said during an August hearing, according to the Associated Press. Bauer and his representatives have denied the allegations.
After the August hearing, the woman was denied a restraining order. The court eventually found the woman’s claims to be “materially misleading,” and Los Angeles Superior Court Justice Dianna Gould-Saltman said the only evidence that something happened while the woman was unconscious was ” to have been “slapped on the butt”.
The Los Angeles Attorney’s Office ruled in February 2022 not to pursue criminal charges against Bauer. He was suspended from MLB three months later, and Bauer later appealed.
Per The Washington Post, MLB examined two reports from other women: one from 2017 and one from ’13. Both women were from Ohio, and the former applied for an interim protection order in 20. It was granted; However, she dropped it after six weeks. The latter woman said Bauer choked her unconscious without consent during multiple encounters. Bauer denied both allegations, and authorities did not press charges in either incident.
Bauer and his legal team have continued to deny the allegations. Bauer filed separate lawsuits for defamation against at least two media outlets and the San Diego woman, who countered him for assault and sexual assault. In November, a judge denied Bauer’s motion to dismiss her counterclaim.