Trevor Bauer was granted a win in Los Angeles court earlier this month when a judge denied a restraining order requested by his accuser, but the Dodgers ace isn’t out of the woods yet and probably won’t be for quite some time as legal troubles continue to cloud his MLB future. Following a three-month police investigation into troubling allegations of sexual assault, authorities in Pasadena recently submitted their findings to the Los Angeles County District Attorney. Even if Bauer avoids criminal charges, MLB is still expected to “levy a significant suspension” against the reigning NL Cy Young winner, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
“The expectation around the sport is that the league would pursue a suspension of at least one year,” wrote Passan Tuesday in a lengthy profile exploring Bauer’s case and potential discipline. “Multiple sources suggested a possibility of a two-year suspension.” Of the 13 players punished under MLB’s domestic violence policy, none have appealed their suspensions. Once suspended, Bauer will almost certainly buck that trend, with one source telling Passan to expect a “war.”
“He’s a person who needs complete and total vindication,” that same source relayed to Passan. “He’s going to fight this to the death. Maybe his own death.”
Passan is certain Bauer won’t see the field again in 2021 and, based on his conversations with “over two dozen” league sources including players, lawyers, executives and owners, there remains a distinct possibility the 30-year-old has thrown his final MLB pitch. “Almost everyone asked that question said some derivation of the same answer: Never again in MLB.”
While Passan acknowledged “all it takes is one team to convince Bauer is worth the repercussions,” the odds of him returning to a big-league mound at any point are exceedingly slim. “The details of the allegations, Bauer's reputation as a difficult personality, teams' fear of public backlash and a climate in which allegations of sexual assault have far deeper repercussions than at any time before are like four walls converging on Bauer,” notes Passan. “As great of a pitcher as he may be, sources said they had a difficult time envisioning a path back into the good graces of the league and the team.”
The owner of a 2.59 ERA in 17 starts this season, Bauer has been on paid administrative leave since July 2nd.
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