With a Near 100MPH Fastball, Tainted Ex-Dodgers Pitcher Eyes MLB Return After 7 Months in Japan

Years after he got exiled, Trevor Bauer is looking to return to MLB again. The 2020 NL Cy Young Award-winning pitcher has not thrown a ball in MLB since June 2021, the year he was accused of committing sexual assault by a woman. The player was first sent on administrative leave and then released by his former team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. After Bauer’s lawsuits were settled, he shifted base to Japan in 2023, joining the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. The numbers he inserted there made it considerably easier for him to stage a comeback in the big league.

Now, after spending 7 months in the BayStars where Bauer had exceptional performances, he’s looking to return to the States. With all his cases behind him, he’s looking to start afresh in the biggest baseball league in the world.

Representatives of Trevor Bauer are in discussions or meetings with various teams

After rejecting the New York Mets, Bauer joined the Dodgers in 2021, signing a contract worth $102 million. Before his controversies over sexual misconduct allegations, Trevor Bauer was one of the most feared pitchers in the league. The player was consistently producing numbers that were in the elite tier. So, naturally, he was quite sought after by various teams.

And now posting his stint in Japan, the player and his agents are back in the market to find him a home in MLB. Understandably, teams would question his usefulness now as he hasn’t pitched for 2 years in MLB. To counter these questions, however, Bauer has his incredible performance in NPB this year as proof that he still has what it takes to play at the big stage.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post tweeted, “Trevor Bauer’s agents Jon Fetterolf and Rachel Luba are meeting with teams in hopes of finding Bauer a job back in MLB.”

Moreover, Trevor Bauer’s numbers in Japan were truly elite. As the tweet further read, “Bauer went 10-4 with a 2.76 ERA for Yokohama, including 9-2 with a 1.97 ERA over his last 15 starts. His fastball ticked up 1 mph on average, hitting a 99.3 max”. Added to that, Bauer was named NPB’s MVP of the month for June, and became an All-Star by the end of the season. With such a pleasant form, he might find takers in MLB again.

Bauer’s controversial past with assault allegations

A woman accused Trevor Bauer of sexual assault in 2021. The woman alleged that Bauer had assaulted her on two different occasions at his home in Pasadena. It happened during what she said began as consensual sexual encounters between them. Bauer denied these allegations, saying everything was consensual. In 2022, citing a lack of evidence, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office decided to not press charges against Trevor Bauer. He then sued the woman for defamation, who then filed a counterclaim of sexual battery against him.

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During all of this, the Dodgers had sent Bauer on an administrative leave. MLB suspended him for an unprecedented 324 game in 2022. He appealed and had it reduced to 194 games, but then the Dodgers released him. With no other team wanting to take him, Bauer went to Japan. Bauer and the woman settled their suits in 2023, with Bauer saying he was “happy to be moving on with [his] life”. 

Now as he starts a new chapter of his career, which team will take him is the question on everybody’s mind.

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