Major League Baseball announced Friday that Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer will be suspended for two full seasons, the equivalent of 324 games, without pay for violating the league’s joint domestic violence policy.
Bauer said he will appeal the decision in front of an independent arbitration panel in New York. He will be the first player under MLB and the MLB Players Association’s joint domestic violence policy, in effect since August 2015, to not reach a settlement with the league — in which a player accepts a suspension of an agreed-upon number of games, in exchange for not appealing the league’s decision. Bauer cannot play during the appeal process. This is the longest suspension yet handed down under the policy.
The Dodgers signed Bauer, now 31, to a three-year, $102 million deal last spring that set a record for annual value. This suspension would take him through, and beyond, the end of that deal.
His last outing as a Dodger came on June 28 in a game against the Giants. The next morning, a then-27-year-old San Diego woman sought and was granted a temporary restraining order against Bauer, alleging that she was assaulted during two sexual encounters in Bauer’s Pasadena home. Bauer was placed on paid administrative leave on July 2, 2021; the leave, with agreement from the players’ union, was extended multiple times in the months that followed, through to Friday’s decision. That time on administrative leave will not count toward his potential suspension, which would last through part of the 2024 season.
In a tweet, Bauer stated: “In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league’s domestic violence & sexual assault policy. I am appealing this action and expect to prevail. As we have throughout this process, my representatives & I respect the confidentiality of the proceedings.”
There was no immediate comment from the woman or her attorney on Friday.
Bauer has repeatedly denied the allegations, claiming that he and the woman engaged in consensual rough sex. He and his attorneys filed a defamation lawsuit in United States District Court on April 25 against his accuser, claiming the woman sought to “destroy Mr. Bauer’s reputation and baseball career, garner attention for herself, and extract millions of dollars from Mr. Bauer.” Bauer has also filed a lawsuit against The Athletic for libel for its reporting on the woman’s petition for a protective order.
The temporary restraining order was dissolved on Aug. 19 following a four-day proceeding, with Los Angeles Superior Court judge Diana Gould-Saltman ruling that Bauer did not pose a continual threat to the woman. In February, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office declined to raise charges against Bauer after a five-month review of the case. An Ohio woman also sought a protection order against Bauer in 2020, according to reporting in the Washington Post last August. Bauer denied the allegations made by that woman as well.
According to MLB and the Players’ Association’s joint domestic violence agreement, a player does not have to be charged or convicted to be suspended under the policy. Players are able to challenge those decisions in front of an arbitration panel.
The Dodgers had declined to say much publicly about Bauer since the allegations were made. Their statement Friday continued to delegate to the ongoing appeals process, saying:
“The Dodgers organization takes all allegations of this nature very seriously and does not condone or excuse any acts of domestic violence or sexual assault. We’ve cooperated fully with MLB’s investigation since it began, and we fully support MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy, and the Commissioner’s enforcement of the Policy. We understand that Trevor has the right to appeal the Commissioner’s decision. Therefore, we will not comment further until the process is complete.”
Bauer had continued to be paid while on leave, receiving his salary and signing bonus for 2021 as well as the start of this season. He was due $64 million over the final two seasons of his contract; the Dodgers will not have to pay Bauer for the days he loses due to a suspension.
