Thirty days after baseball pitcher Trevor Bauer filed a defamation lawsuit against sports magazine The Athletic, MLB has announced a 2-year suspension for Bauer.
In an official, one-paragraph statement published on April 29, Major League Baseball announced the official suspension of Bauer, effective that day. Bauer, who has already missed the most of last year of baseball (albeit with a $20 million salary), will now be out of the game for a further two years, this time without pay.
“Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. announced on Friday that following an extensive investigation by MLB’s Department of Investigations, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer has received a suspension for 324 championship season games (representing two full seasons) without pay, effective today, for violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy,” the statement read.
The official release pic.twitter.com/NWoyMucKI7
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 29, 2022
The suspension comes following extensive accusations of sexual misconduct and harassment against Bauer, which claim that he choked a former girlfriend of his until she fell unconscious, and then proceeded to commit sexual acts against her. Bauer denies all allegations, and was even dropped of charges according to the Los Angeles County’s district attorney’s office, implying that he was innocent.
But in the eyes of MLB, Bauer and what he stands for is a mere stain on the sport, and they figure that by barring him from the league for two years, he will be out of their hands. Bauer has already announced via Twitter that he will fight against this decision, and appeal the suspension.
In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league’s domestic violence & sexual assault policy. I am appealing this action and expect to prevail. As we have throughout this process, my representatives & I respect the confidentiality of the proceedings.
— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) April 29, 2022
After signing a three-year, $102 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on February 5, 2021, Bauer was put on administrative leave by MLB on July 2 of that year, and has not pitched a game since. Ultimately, it appears the Dodgers lost this one, offering a massive contract to a pitcher that has missed valuable time with the club.
“It’s no different than where we were [before],” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. ”From our standpoint, it’s being handled by the league office. As soon as something is decided, we will come down and talk through it extensively with you guys. But until that happens, we have to reserve comment.”
What do you think of MLB’s decision to suspend Trevor Bauer for two years? Let us know, by either leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
