Fan Interference

An arbitrator has reduced Trevor Bauer’s 324 game suspension for violations of the baseball domestic violence policy to 194. It confirms the misdeeds and is still the longest suspension ever under that policy. However, with the time he missed in 2021 plus all of 2022, his time of suspension is over. The suspension is unpaid, and he was still being paid during 2021 and the first part of 2022, so he will be docked the remaining 50 games worth of pay in 2023. The Dodgers have to decide whether to add him to the 40 man roster or release him within the next two weeks. It’s believed they will release him and pay him the remainder of his contract, making him a free agent. 2023 is the final year of his deal with the Dodgers. After the 50 games unpaid, he will still make $24.4M in 2023.

I will be thoroughly disgusted with any team that signs him. He’s now got his golden parachute; he needs to take it and go away. With his pugilistic personality, I’m sure he won’t do so willingly and will falsely claim he has been exonerated.

Again, it’s expected the Dodgers will not bring him back, would rather pay him $24M to stay away. There were players on the team in 2021 who made it clear they didn’t want him back. If he is released, any team could sign him for baseball’s minimum wage, with the Dodgers picking up the rest of the tab. That, however, would be the biggest middle finger to female fans for any sports team since the NFL’s Cleveland Browns signed Deshaun Watson for more than $200M and structured his contract to avoid most of it being touched by his 10 game suspension (ultimately that cost him less than $1M). May the Browns wallow in mediocrity forever. Ditto for any team that signs Trevor Bauer.