In April, Bauer was suspended 324 games for domestic violence. The suspension was reduced to 194 games on Thursday.
Mark J. Rebellas/USA Today Sports
The Dodgers have 14 days to decide how they will handle Trevor Bauer – whether to cut the pitcher, which was just restored of the longest domestic violence suspension in league history, or whether they would continue to include it.
This is the time frame set by Major League Rule 2(c)(6)(k)(3). But the Dodgers shouldn’t need it: They should know where they stand here. The team had months to prepare for a decision like this, and now, they must be ready to act.
What can they learn in the next 14 days – about him or themselves – that they haven’t learned in the past 18 months? If the Dodgers want to keep Bauer on the roster, they need to say so and explain why. The same applies to the opposite decision. But they have had months to think what they care about, and what price they might put on those principles, and there is not much to gain by waiting.
Bauer was placed on administrative leave by MLB in July 2021, when a woman filed a petition seeking a restraining order after a pair of sexual encounters that she alleged began consensual but ended in assault. She said he choked her unconscious, raped her and punched her so hard she sought hospital treatment. “I felt like my soul left my body, and I was terrified,” the woman said during a hearing in August. Bauer and his representatives denied the allegations.
The woman was denied the restraining order after the August hearing. The court ultimately found that the woman’s claims were “materially misleading,” and Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Diana Gold-Saltman said the only evidence that anything had happened while the woman was unconscious was a “smacking on her bottom.” In February, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office announced that it would not be pressing charges against Bauer.
But the league has the power to investigate on its own and issue a suspension regardless of whether charges are filed — here, MLB’s investigation has grown beyond the scope of the original allegations, with two additional women sharing accusations of abuse in Washington Post— and the league eventually suspended Bauer in April 2022. At 324 games, or two full seasons, it was the longest in league history by a wide margin. Bauer began an appeals process almost immediately. He was the first player to challenge a domestic violence suspension since MLB’s current policy began in 15, setting in motion a process that ended Thursday, when an independent arbitrator decided to reduce Bauer’s suspension to 194 games. That covers time that Bauer has already served on suspension and is on administrative leave — along with a clause to dock his wages for the first 50 games in 2013 — so the referee reinstates him in the league immediately.
All that remains is that 14-day window: After two weeks, Bauer will count against Dodgers roster limits, unless they decide to cut him before then. It marks the end of a complex, messy process that has now lasted a year and a half. And all along, the Dodgers knew he could end up with a decision like that. If the arbitrator’s decision seemed surprising – after the coming months in the days just before Christmas – the team had months to consider the questions it raised. Chief among them: What do the Dodgers care about? At any price? How long will it take them to establish these principles?
The Dodgers released a short statement Thursday evening on TwitterWe have just been informed of the arbitrator’s decision and will comment as soon as possible. Bao’er’s representatives were released one of them“While we are pleased to have Mr. Bauer reinstated immediately, we do not agree that any discipline should have been imposed. However, Mr. Bauer looks forward to his return to the field, where it remains his goal to help his team win the World Series.”
There may be those who view the arbitrator’s decision to reduce the suspension to immediate reinstatement of the post as an admission of innocence. This is a mistake. It just makes the longest domestic violence suspension in league history not that long (along with Bauer’s paychecks to start 2023). “While we believe a longer suspension was warranted, MLB will abide by the neutral arbitrator’s decision, which upholds the longest suspension of players in baseball for sexual assault or domestic violence,” the league’s statement read in part. The Dodgers now have to decide if this player is who they want.
Bauer was originally scheduled to earn $32 million in 2023. His salary percentage is around $9.5 million – leaving the Dodgers with approximately $22.5 million. (Bauer signed a three-year, $102 million deal with the Dodgers on February 21.) They would have to pay that amount regardless of whether they cut it or signed it. There are complex parts to this decision. Anything that dedicates a dollar amount, or a number of games, to something as risky as a matter of human pain is complicated. However, modern front offices are pondering all kinds of complex decisions — and the ramifications that may result from them — all the time now. This front office has a reputation as one of the most seasoned in sports. The question before them now was much heavier than their usual wages. But they had months to anticipate it.
Months to reflect on what it means to have Bauer in uniform, take the hill every five days, and act as club representative. months to think about how to explain this to fans asking what the Dodgers’ priorities are and why.
Listing Bauer means making an outspoken statement about the club’s values and perspective. To cut it would do the same, statement equal to size, opposite direction. The clock is now ticking on the Dodgers selection. And if it takes 14 days, well, that gives a statement of its own.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()
{n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}
;if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;
n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,
document,’script’,’
(function(){
fbq(‘init’, ‘1103097776498609’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
var contentId = ‘ci02b37eb6c0012618’;
if (contentId !== ”) {
fbq(‘track’, ‘ViewContent’, {content_ids: [contentId], content_type: ‘product’});
}
})();