(New York) Major League Baseball has finally decided on the Trevor Bauer case: the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher was suspended for 324 games for violating the circuit’s policy against domestic violence.
Posted at 3:46 p.m.
Unlike the administrative leave he has been on since July 2, Bauer will not receive a salary during the suspension, which begins this Friday and also includes playoff games.
On Twitter, Bauer has already indicated his intention to appeal the suspension.
“In the clearest possible terms, I continue to deny that I have in any way violated the domestic violence and sexual assault policy,” Bauer wrote. I am appealing this decision and expect to win. As we have since the beginning of these proceedings, my representatives and I respect their confidentiality. »
If the suspension is upheld, Bauer will lose approximately $60 million in salary.
Earlier this week, Bauer filed a lawsuit against his accuser in federal court, a move less than three months after California prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges against the pitcher.
They have been unable to prove the charges of this woman, whom Bauer met on social media, beyond a reasonable doubt, the Los Angeles County Attorney General’s Office said in a document released at the conclusion. of their investigation.
In her lawsuit, Bauer identifies the woman who made the allegations and one of her attorneys, Niranjan Fred Tiagarajah, as defendants. The Associated Press does not usually identify alleged victims of sexual assault.
In a statement, the Dodgers said they take any allegations of domestic violence or sexual assault very seriously. The organization recalls having offered its full and entire cooperation to Major League Baseball’s investigation and that it respects the commissioner’s decision, while adding that it will not comment further until the appeal procedures are completed.
Bauer has been sidelined for seven days with pay since July 2 due to allegations that violate MLB and MLBPA domestic violence and sexual harassment policy. A Southern California woman claims he strangled her unconscious in addition to hitting her and having anal sex with her without her consent last year.
Major League Baseball and the players’ union have jointly agreed to successively extend this leave since. Bauer’s agents, Jon Fetterolf and Rachel Luba, have repeatedly said that an administrative leave is not a disciplinary sanction. This is no longer the case with this suspension.
Bauer hasn’t pitched since June 29. He was 8-2 with a 2.59 ERA in 17 outings in his first season with the Dodgers. He earned $28 million last season, the first of three under the $102 million contract he signed after winning his first Cy-Young with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020.