(LA) The Los Angeles Dodgers have cut ties with pitcher Trevor Bauer, whose unprecedented 324-game suspension due to sexual misconduct allegations was reduced two weeks ago, allowing him to resume his career with the start of the new season.
A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Friday that the 31-year-old right-hander has been designated for assignment, which means the Dodgers have seven days to release or trade him, which is unlikely. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the maneuver.
If the National’s 2020 Cy Young Award winner is released, the Dodgers will still have to absorb the remaining $22.5 million in the gunner’s contract.
“After careful consideration, we have decided that he will no longer be part of our organization,” the Dodgers said in a statement posted to Twitter.
The Dodgers had until Friday to reinstate Bauer’s name on the roster under Major League Baseball rules. The team has rarely commented on the thorny issue since Bauer was placed on compulsory leave – while remaining paid – in July 2021.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred suspended Bauer for 324 games for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy after a San Diego woman said he beat her and sexually abused in 2021. Bauer maintained he did nothing wrong, saying everything that happened between him and the woman was consensual.
Bauer was never charged with a crime.
The Players Association filed a grievance on Bauer’s behalf, and a three-person panel led by independent arbitrator Martin Scheinman began hearing the case last May.