Bauer No Longer With the Dodgers

The Dodgers have officially moved on from Trevor Bauer.

The Pasadena pitcher was released on Thursday after clearing waivers.

He is now a free agent.

Bauer was suspended for two full seasons over violations of Major League Baseball’s sex assault and domestic violence policies. He was reinstated late last month by an arbitrator who reduced his suspension to 194 games.

Bauer has not pitched for the Dodgers since June 2021. He was placed on administrative leave in July 2021, shortly after a San Diego woman came forward and alleged Bauer battered her during a pair of violent sexual encounters.

A judge initially issued a temporary restraining order against him, but later declined to extend the order, ruling after an extensive hearing that Bauer and the woman engaged in rough sex within boundaries that the woman herself helped determine.

The District Attorney’s Office also declined to pursue any charges in the case.

Bauer repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Bauer signed a three-year contract with the Dodgers in February 2020, worth $102 million.

The initial two-year suspension would have extended beyond his contract with the Dodgers.

“While I am disappointed by the organization’s decision today, I appreciate the wealth of support I’ve received from the Dodger’s clubhouse,” Bauer said in a statement on Dec. 6. “I wish the players all the best and look forward to competing elsewhere.”

Bauer was designated for assignment on January 6, two weeks after an independent arbitrator announced a 194-game suspension (reduced from 324 games), the longest in the eight-year history of MLB’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy.

“Now that this process has been completed, and after careful consideration, we have decided that he will no longer be part of our organization,” the Dodgers said in a statement last Friday.

The Dodgers are on the hook for Bauer’s salary for 2023, which was reduced to roughly $22.5 million after his suspension included 50 days of docked pay along with his immediate reinstatement. Any team can now sign Bauer for the major league minimum of $720,000, which would offset what the Dodgers owe.