There’d been some recent hope that Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw could make it back to the mound in the near future. The three-time Cy Young winner is on the IL with forearm inflammation but had progressed to throwing a bullpen session and was slated to throw a 60-pitch simulated game. Manager Dave Roberts, however, said recently that Kershaw was dealing with “residual soreness” following his latest session, and the skipper now tells reporters that he expects Kershaw to return “sometime in September” (Twitter link via Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times).
It’s been nearly a month since Kershaw initially landed on the injured list, and one can only imagine that the uncertainty surrounding his current status was a driving factor in the Dodgers’ decision to aggressively pursue rotation help over the past week. President of baseball ops Andrew Friedman and his staff have acquired Max Scherzer and Danny Duffy via trade, and they’ve also signed Cole Hamels to a Major League deal for the remainder of the season.
Duffy and Hamels, like Kershaw, are down-the-road additions. Duffy is on the injured list for a second time this season owing to a forearm strain and is likely out until the middle of this month. Hamels, meanwhile, needs to build up arm strength before returning to a Major League mound. He pitched just 3 1/3 innings for the Braves in 2020 due to shoulder and triceps injuries.
For the time being, they’ll lean on Scherzer, Walker Buehler and Julio Urias in the top three spots of the rotation. Former Cy Young winner David Price, who’d been in the bullpen, will start tonight for the fifth time since Kershaw went on the injured list. His most recent outing had been a one-inning relief stint on Aug. 1, but he tossed 64 pitches on July 29 and 74 pitches on July 23, so he’s still fairly well stretched out.
At 65-44, the Dodgers are tied with the Brewers for the second-best record in baseball. No club has a better run differential than L.A.’s mark of +164. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the only team in the game with a better record is the first-place Giants, who lead the NL West by a margin of four games as of this writing. Slotting Scherzer in alongside Buehler and Urias gives the Dodgers an outstanding top three on which to rely, but Kershaw’s absence still looms large.
The 33-year-old Kershaw is in the midst of yet another excellent season, having pitched to a 3.39 ERA in 106 2/3 frames. That earned run average, incredibly, is his “worst” since his rookie season in 2008, but Kershaw is also sporting his best strikeout percentage (30.1) since 2016 and the fifth-lowest walk percentage (4.5) of any Major League pitcher with at least 100 innings this season. He’s in the final season of a three-year, $93MM contract and is scheduled to become a free agent at season’s end.
Of all the injured guys on all the teams out there this is nothing as long as he’s healthy for the postseason. Many many seasons Kershaw got worse as the year went on. People talk about his playoff failings but he was worn out. With hindsight it looks nuts how many innings he used to pitch. This is for the best for him and the team.
What’s up with the atrocious pitching for your team, the Cardinals? How do two pitchers combine to walk five guys in a row, including four with the bases loaded? Can your hindsight explain that?
Dude if you want to talk we can talk. If you want to troll we can do something else. I don’t see the point of this. You clearly remember me from something I said on another post. I don’t remember you I don’t think like that. But you sure do.
What’s the point? If the only way you can get attention is to troll you need to find something else to do. Spend that time doing research so you know what you are talking about when you do post.
Huh? I knew your team was the Cardinals, and I thought you might want to talk about the Cardinals since there haven’t been many articles about the Cardinals here lately.
I thought the same thing. He seems to be an angry little elf.
I have this effect on people……
I am a Cardinals fan. When I have relevant info to share I do. Like my firsthand knowledge of how Kershaw got worn out by the time he got to the playoffs. I didn’t sit here and yell everyone how great my team is for beating him. Could have. I said what’s relevant to the topic.
At the end of the day we all make choices. I am here until I find something better to do……
dude – your first hand knowledge? were you catching his BP sessions? Speak to him at the end of the year to get this little tidbit of knowledge? My guess is you put forth a theory ( Kershaw gets worn out by end of the year – not exactly an uncommon theory btw) and , like everyone else, did a quick glance at some stats, read an article or two – perhaps watched an interview. All good ways to express a valid point.. but it is not ” first hand knowledge”
also .. crossword puzzles…..now you have something better to do.
Define firsthand, are you saying you have access to Kershaws medical records and/or interviews that you conducted about fatigue?
So you want to nitpick my use of the word first hand?
Again my initial comment is 100% on the subject of the post. Not about the Cardinals. Not about my massive ego it was about the post. You want to make it something else cool again I got time. You think I haven’t had a conversation like this before pal? Assume I have. Practice makes perfect…..always learning…….
dude – not really nitpicking the use of the word first hand just informing you that you don’t have first hand knowledge. I also gave you something better to do … you’re welcome. I made no mention of the Cardinals or the fact that your was wasn’t on point as far as the article goes ( it was on point) – you just come off as a bit…egotistical when you throw phrases around like ” first hand knowledge”
Do you want to contribute to the topic of the post or troll me? Because so far……..you are only trolling……
You have not said anything about the post or the Dodgers or any of that. Just me but I am not the subject.
I should get paid for this. Call me Tim.
…….
dude – not your site so not really your issue what gets posted and how it pertains to the article. Comments are conversations between users as well as users posting about the article.
Why would I call you Tim?
If you want you can call me Al though
Dude……you lucky I have nothing better to do at the moment.
I didn’t mean you should call me Tim. I meant Tim should call me. Figure it out man……
Joel, it’s ironic that you are the self proclaimed keeper of grammar and you used the word firsthand wrong. That’s all we are telling you
Dude – why would I be lucky? Am I supposed to be ever so grateful that you are conversing with me?
and as far as figuring things out.. you really should have figured out I was yanking your chain about calling you Tim. Guess you don’t have first hand knowledge about humor.
I am absolutely positively not the self proclaimed keeper of grammar. If you want to troll me at least get it right….
Dude. Dude. Bro. Dude. Dude. Bro? Dude. Dude! Dude.
Go Astros.
don’t forget the occasional “fella”
He does trust me, I sell Kershaw medical records on the black record and specifically remember selling them to him. He knows what he’s talking abojt
Joel Peterson1 hour ago
Like my firsthand knowledge of how Kershaw got worn out by the time he got to the playoffs.
===============================================
That doesn’t sound right. Kershaw has virtually no fluctuation in his ERA. His career September ERA is actually slightly below his career season ERA. Unless he got worn out in-between the last game of the regular, and the first game of the playoffs, I don’t think this is a wearing-down issue.
And in his two 230+ IP season, when he was in the playoffs, he pitched well in the opening series.
Bit of an angry little guy. Thank you so much for gracing us with your presence. We will certainly understand if you have to leave, when you find something better to do.
The dodgers can’t even beat the cardinals in the playoffs lmao and have 11 World Series while the dodgers have a COVID 60 game championship
I have to side with Joel Peterson on this one. Unless I am missing something, his original statement had everything to do with the topic at hand (Dodgers) and not the Cardinals. Additionally, there is nowhere in this post I could find his use of “firsthand.” Maybe I’m missing something, but it clearly looks like a Dodger fan jumping on a Cards fan over a former post or just something off-topic in general.
My original statement was about Kershaw and the Dodgers. It was about the post. Then some weirdo showed up talking about the Cardinals because he didn’t like what I said to him on a previous day from a previous post. That is exactly what happened.
Bone Spurs-N-Harmony, it looks like you have an atti-dude problem
Bone Spurs-N-Harmony, it looks like you have an atti-dude problem
How does this post show up twice? I’m a victim of circumstance
I think your right. He runs out of gas as he gets into post season.
I agree. All you have to do is look at last seasons shortened year. He was fresh for the playoffs, and it was probably his best playoff performance of his career.
Seems like they’re in good shape starting pitching wise, even without Kershaw.
With the injury I think they could still roll out a 7 man rotation of current or former all-stars.
Agree to disagree. All the players are worn down from 162 games. Even the best starting pitchers only appear in 35 games. With that said you have to play well to get to the postseason. I agree that the season may be too long but the ultimate prize of the World Series is for the teams that have the best ironmen. You have to pitch great in order to get into the dance and then get better. I don’t blame all these starting pitchers for taking as much money as they can in free agency since there shelf lives are similar to an NFL running back.
I know for a fact Kershaw has appeared in more than 35 games in a season before. I don’t have to look it up.
The Dodgers are making the postseason. Yes they would be much better off winning their division but they are in. It’s all about winning a championship for them. They play above the rim.
They want to win the division. They don’t want their whole season to come down to a single wild card game against either the Padres or the Giants.
Anything can happen in a single game. Just ask Trent Grisham.
Yes winning the division would be better.
But the team has won a LOT of divisions. And that didn’t lead to a championship until last year which let’s not forget was a shortened season.
Keep discounting Reds
Don’t worry. We will
Anything can happen. Nationals won the World Series in 2019 after winning a Wild card game.
hahahaha most underrated comment
Kershaw has appeared in more than 35 games in a season..but only if you include post season. most regular season appearances is 33 which is pretty much the most a starting pitcher will get…which I beleive was the point Brennan was making. In the old days ( 60’s and up) there would be several pitchers around the 35-40 starts mark.
The postseason counts. Why the heck wouldn’t it????
In the old days they didn’t all throw 95. Things have changed. Kershaw kept pitching more and more innings. That’s what happens when your team gets better and better every year. And he did it at a time when guys were throwing harder and harder and now teams are finally reeling back the innings. They wore him out with a peak of I want to say 280 or so innings then he had injury issues and has ever since. And now nobody throws 280 innings literally nobody.
dude – deep breath – I never said postseason didn’t count I was just pointing out that the person you replying to ( Brennan) was , most likely, only referring to the regular season and stating noone goes more than 35 games anymore. Pointing out a fact that is different from what you stated isn’t always an attack on you.
BTW – Kershaw never pitched 280 innings in a year 2013 ( 236 reg season plus 23 post season) seems to have been his peak ,which to make your point, is when he started having physical issues. But your numbers were off – try clicking the link to baseball ref before chucking out stats – people will call out wrong stats alot). Hell the stats I just threw out there may not not be right just sorta eyeballed it but it looks like his peak
Might not be an attack, but he clearly was pounced on in the beginning by a Dodgers fan with little reason pertaining to the particular thread. I don’t blame him for being defensive.
When you use the words “I want to say” before quoting a number you are implying it might be incorrect. That’s implied. Try understanding basic speech in the world today.
Is 260 a lot of innings? Is it more than anyone else pitched that year? Has he pitched anywhere close to that since? All points still valid 20 innings doesn’t change that. Try focusing on the point and not the poster. Try that or I will make a note to ignore everything you say in the future.
start making notes then lol
Don’t make him angry.
You won’t like him when he’s angry.
Though it seems he wakes up that way, so whatever.
And I looked it up, Maddux and Halladay each had 36 starts in 2003, the last time someone had more than 35 starts in a season. I also know that postseason, and spring training, counts towards wear on a pitcher’s arm. I am just clearing everything up since the OP referred to a 162 game schedule and understanding basic speech is important.
We may be seeing the ‘Pedro’ phase of Kershaw’s career coming to fruition. Pedro had the lingering issues keep adding up and he wasn’t Pedro anymore but still effective. Buehler may be the man after this year. Kershaw has been more a slow motion accident and hasn’t had the big break down yet. Miss 2 weeks, play all season, miss 2 weeks. Now it is miss 2 months.
I was thinking King Felix, but I get what you’re saying.
Buehler already was the man.
It’s worth pointing out that this is the first first elbow injury for Kershaw. In the past his longest absences were the result of back soreness. This was looking like a chronic condition that would take him out every year, but it seems it’s been addressed with conditioning. Pitchers usually have to make adjustments as they age. Kershaw has adjusted to the reduction of velocity mostly by throwing the slider more.
That’s a good comp. Wouldn’t be the first guy you want on your team for 162 games. But 1 game well rested and healthy? For sure.
DeGrom is the most consistent outside of the early Kershaw days. Buehler still has a ways to go, still young.
Had 6th best FIP of NL starters when he was shut down
Just keep wishing out loud that kershaw is no longer kershaw. It’s pretty pathetic
Dodgers lead MLB in giving up the least amount of earned runs 344. They’ll be ok. Brewers 360, Giants 363, Mets 372, Padres 382 for perspective.
The Dodgers need their offense to be more consistent. The offensive numbers are a bit misleading as they put up a lot of 3 runs or less games and compensate that with big eruptions and blow outs. That distorts the run differential. I’d much rather they score 4+ runs consistently. Hopefully as some of the starters have now returned from injury and Trea Turner comes in this will lead to more consistency in run production, which should help the ailing pitching staff.
With Kershaw’s issues, I feel like he will either stay with the Dodgers on a short term deal, or retire.
The Dodgers have accumulated enough depth to survive their two aces at the start of the season being out for lengthy stints during the home stretch. Kershaw will be back. Bauer is no longer welcome in that locker room. As a Mets’ fan, it’s a blessing they didn’t sign him. Sadly though, the Mets are going to have a tougher time surviving without their aces. By the time deGrom and Thor are ready to return, it may be too late if they don’t start recovering from this tailspin this weekend. Hill’s not even close to the reinforcement that Scherzer is. Cookie’s finally on the big team but is still ramping up.
Kershaw, Trout, Rendon, DeGrom, Tatis, Jr., Acuna, Jr., Bieber, Bregman, Lindor, Biggio, Strasburg, etc. That’s just the very top of the very LONG list of players on the MLB IL right now. And I was told I was crazy for thinking the 60-game season would cause a wave of injuries this season, particularly when we got into the 2nd half.
These guys are not robots. You cannot just throw them out onto the field and expect peak performance no matter what. Most of these guys haven’t played more than 100 games since 2019, and many of them didn’t play at all in 2020 either due to opting out or the cancellation of the minor league season.
Baseball is obviously better when its top stars are on the field doing spectacular things. When they’re in the injury update pages of MLBTR, the sport suffers as a whole. I don’t care what team you root for, we are not likely to get top quality baseball back until 2022 at the earliest – I hope.
“And I was told I was crazy for thinking the 60-game season would cause a wave of injuries this season, particularly when we got into the 2nd half.”
Wtf are you saying? This was the most expected result of anything that’s happened in 2021. You deserve no credit
Is it a definite Bauer not coming back?
Maybe not definite but it’s where the smart money is going.
Nothing is definite. The only thing definite is that his Administrative leave has been extended to August 13. Beyond that everything remains up in the air. MLB is investigating, the Pasadena and San Diego Police Departments are investigating. If formal criminal charges are filed against Bauer, and/or MLB suspends him for a significant number of games due to violation of the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Personal Conduct Policy, the Dodgers are sure to pursue their legal options for voiding his contract. If not, well then we’ll have to see what happens. If you believe Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times, his Dodger teammates do not want him back under “any circumstances.”
But to answer your question – right now everyone is just waiting to see what the investigations turn up. So no, nothing is a definite yet.
Most likely scenario: Bauer comes to a cash settlement with the woman, who then declines to press charges. Commissioner hands down a suspension of a length agreed upon by the MLBPA. If I had to bet, I’d call the over/under at 150 games. Whether being on the restricted list precludes Bauer from exercising his player option for 2022, nobody knows, but if it’s even arguable that it does, the Dodgers then have leverage to force a settlement over the balance of his contract, and they pay him some portion of it to make him go away.
Blueskies – that sounds totally reasonable and most likely in a normal situation. But Bauer is..shall we say..a bit off at times? I can see him never admitting wrongdoing – sticking to his guns – suing her for defamation and making it ugly for the Dodgers to get rid of him. In that case they have to eat the $$ and release him but even then I think he will fight to the bitter end by suing the dodgers for the damage they cause his future earnings by releasing him etc etc etc. Just specualtion and most likely won’t happen but I put it at 5% it gets crazy ugly
True, if he goes Full Bauer, it could become quite nasty and protracted. If he accepts a suspension (and if the union agrees to one he doesn’t have much of a leg to stand on to contest it) and performs the usual mea culpas he has a chance to rehabilitate his career. If he doesn’t, he’d be forfeiting any likelihood that he’ll play baseball again and any realistic opportunity to blame his situation on anybody but himself.
Has there been any corroboration on the suggestion that the team (players) do not want Bauer back? The original article, as I recall, mentioned two players made that statement anonymously.
fox471-Mike DiGiovanna wrote an article in the LA Times on July 25 that cited “unidentified sources familiar with the Dodgers clubhouse dynamics” to suggest the Dodgers players do not want Bauer back “under any circumstances” and that few, if any, are defending him.
As for the most likely way this plays out, sure, some form of settlement between Bauer and the woman seems likely to settle the criminal affair. However, MLB has less burden of proof to determine whether he violated the Personal Conduct Policy and therefore suspend him.
If MLB does suspend him for any length of time, the Dodgers options come down to the wording of his contract with regard to violation of MLB policies. Standard player contracts give teams power to void contracts for “violations of the Joint MLB/MLBPA Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Personal Conduct policy.” If Bauer’s contract has that clause, or something similar, the Dodgers may be able to void the contract and pay Bauer nothing, and there won’t be anything Bauer can do about it. However, if Bauer’s agents were more careful in the wording of that clause – knowing Bauer’s less than stable history – well then a battle may be brewing. At this point, nobody other than Bauer, Bauer’s agents, and the Dodgers execs know that exact wording.
Every player contract without question commits the player to the policies adopted jointly by MLB and the MLBPA. However the joint policy on domestic violence describes a very specific set of standards for evaluating violations and a process for assessing penalties. The teams are not allowed to penalize more than what results from the process. That said most if not all contracts include a “morals clause,” which at least in theory gives a team the right to terminate a player’s contract for “unsportsmanlike conduct” among other things. In practice this is seldom if ever done. Even if the union would not challenge a termination for that reason the player very well might. Now everybody is paying expensive lawyers, which increases the appeal of some sort of private settlement. Players are also sometimes if not very often placed on the restricted list for behavior issues, which can work out to the same thing. With the Bauer situation I’m pretty sure the multiple extensions of his administrative leave is an indication of behind-the-scenes negotiations and perhaps also an indication that they aren’t going so well.
Who cares? Guy is getting paid a ton and has an FIP over 4.00. His “popularity” is because of one great covid season.
Tied with the Brewers *, Rays, and Astros* for the second-best record in baseball.
Dodgers should give up, the season is over
Ha! Nice Try!
…with the second best record in baseball?
Guess the Padres season is done too?
We picked up Anderson, you got that loser Sherzer.
1st place here we come
What’s interesting is that not only has Kershaw never pitched over 33 games in a season. It is over half a decade since he’s made even 30 starts or pitched 200 or more innings. He’s only pitched 200+ innings 5x in his career. He’s done a remarkable job when healthy. I don’t think he’s had many seasons where he’s been overworked other than early in his career. He certainly hasn’t been since 2015, his age 27 season which was his peak.
Starting pitchers typically do not make more than 33 starts. If you divide 162 games by 5 you get 32.4 starts. Sure, there could be days where the #5 starter is skipped but managers also occasionally give starters an extra day off. Kershaw’s injury past has been primarily due to his back as another posted brought up. Other than his back he has been extremely durable.
The various comments about number of season starts prompted me to look up the historical stats…I didn’t realize the Phil Neikro started 43 games in 1977. I would expect some to respond with, well yeah but he was a knuckler. So right behind him is Drysdale with 42. He did it twice. In consecutive seasons. That’s a lot of work.
In Drysdale’s day starters pitched every 4 days. 162/4= 40.5. Dodgers were built off pitching in those days and both years there was a very tight playoff race, so they squeezed all the could out of Drysdale.
What’s interesting is you apparently do not understand what’s a large workload for a starting pitcher in today’s game, but must make statement just to say something
Do you think Trevor B will be back?
Hell No
Probably not, there’s been articles saying that the players don’t even want him to come back. Already has a “pariah” label through sources … sounds like he’s done.
Hope not
And no I don’t think he will
So do they sign Kershaw one year at a time since he is breaking down?
Happy IL to himmmmmm. I don’t care. Good luck.
Meh, washed up.
In the past, the Dodgers attempted to sign Kershaw to a “lifetime” contract. Kershaw was wary because he felt it might somehow hinder his motivation for working as hard as he does to stay in the beat possible condition for pitching.
At the White House this year, Kershaw was the one Dodger player to speak. When the media needs to interview a Dodger it is usually Kershaw or else Justin Turner who represents the team.
The Dodgers will try to keep Kershaw on their payroll as a team ambassador or in the front office even after his playing career is over. His #22 will be retired as he will certainly enter the Hall of Fame. One day, he will be the retired face of the Dodgers much like Sandy Koufax is now.
While he is not the greatest Dodger pitcher of all time, he is the best of the 21st Century (so far). Kershaw has been great for the Dodgers, for Los Angeles and Dallas, and other places around the world where he and his wife donate funds to help locals. I think Kershaw has been great for MLB. He is the polar opposite of Bauer, and I suspect he is leading the charge among the players against ever allowing Bauer back with the team.
If Bauer took the rest of 2021 and perhaps all of 2022 to get real, certified help from mental health professionals in order to try to determine just why he enjoys such deviant behavior, perhaps some team might sign him for the rest of 2022 or 2023. Perhaps.
My best guess is that Bauer does nothing, and possibly ends up in the Mexican League if he wants to keep pitching. I don’t think he is even welcome in Japan or South Korea at this point.
Nobody knows how Bauer’s contract is written but hopefully the Dodgers threw in a clause reading no morals no money.!
FWIW, suspensions from the joint policy seem to be generally accompanied by requirements that the player enter into counseling and a statement from the player accepting responsibility for his actions. In Bauer’s case he is probably being advised by his lawyers to not say anything that will make a settlement with the woman more costly, and so the administrative leave will continue to be extended until they come to a number. At some point the commissioner’s office will grow tired of the delays but that seemingly hasn’t happened yet.
I know I’m in the minority but I don’t consider what 2 consensual adults do behind closed doors to be deviant behavior if in fact consensual . (Her words/texts per yesterday)
It’s kinda crazy ; I think I just read a couple thousands words on Bauer in this thread and not 1 person mentions the new texts dropped yesterday from Bauers lawyers. Why?
It’s almost as if we have all gone to our corners on this and don’t care what actually happened, I find it alarming, not in a baseball way, sadly one MUCH BIGGER
I respect your post, and was really into the first 2/3 but I disagree on the end
* Was to alanofla- Blue I don’t care to go down this road w you, your post was same time as me
Cap Crunch – I think nobody is commenting on the whole “sexual incident” because these things are always he said, she said and nobody here knows what actually happened, nor do (I’m guessing) most of us want to.
Either it was consensual and now she’s just trying to get paid, or it was consensual at first and Trevor took it too far. Either way the courts will sort it all out. No point discussing it here.
Your ultimately right in the “No need discussing specifics of matter in here” part. I agree, time and place and that ain’t here
My problem is most Dodger fans (inc many in here) have already stamped him out 100% and don’t care if he’s innocent or guilty –
That’s my disconnect, and it has almost zero to do w baseball, and it scares me a little bit as a society moving forward.
Well, that’s been happening throughout human history. Remember the Salem witch trials, or some of the brutal “drumhead justice” handed out on battlefields by the military. It’s almost human nature to assume guilt in these situations. It’s why the American legal process is so careful to ensure citizens get as fair a trial as possible. But the court of public opinion almost always condemns the accused regardless of the evidence.
It’s why they put the OJ trial all over TV – trying to combat that tendency. They figured if they let people watch it play out, it wouldn’t be such a secret and therefore people wouldn’t speculate so much. No such luck. People who wanted to believe he was guilty no matter what did (and still do to this day), regardless of what they saw.
Good example, good post Aaron…
Funny b/c I actually typed out “How far are we really away from Salem’but then edited it as I felt it was too hyperbolic
I find it all a bit troubling and actually think society has regressed a bit the last 5 ~10 years –
The LA based papers/counter-culture out here actually refer to people who believe innocent until proven guilty to be a “crowd” nowadays, its disgusting….
I dont know if it’s like this nationwide but LA people are some of the cruelest SOB’s out there I bet. They will squash you like a bug if you don’t conform to their fleeting images of what’s hip in the moment
Cap & Crunch, because you mentioned me, I will explain why I feel the way I do about Bauer.
Without getting into specifics about what allegedly happened, I simply can’t root for a guy who thinks it’s OK to do that to a woman. Whether or not everything was “wholly consensual” as Bauer and his representatives have claimed, the fact that it happened at all and I have to know about it is enough for me to not want the guy on my favorite team.
I know that it takes all kinds in this world, but I do not envy the parents I know who have had to try to explain the pitcher’s absence to their kids.
As a writer, I have had to research things I do not do in my life for my work. This is how I know that in the BDSM world, most couples have safety words, and most do not cause their sexual partner to need to go to the hospital after their encounters.
I am not here to pass judgment on Bauer or on the woman, even though it might seem to you that I have already decided that Bauer is guilty of a crime. Whether he is or is not, the fact that he felt it was perfectly fine to do what he did to another human being–twice–is reason enough, in my opinion, for him to seek professional help.
Even if it costs the Dodgers the entire $102 million on this deal, they have to cut the player and suffer the loss if MLB does not give him a lengthy suspension. They cannot think “this will all blow over” because it won’t. Bauer can never return to the Dodgers. The O’Malley family would have never allowed it, and Mark Walter and Stan Kasten cannot allow it. The cost to the franchise’s reputation would be much more than $102 million.
This is my 50th season as a Dodger fan, and I have never heard anything worse about any Dodger player, past or present. I thought nothing would ever surpass Darryl Strawberry’s personal problems, but Bauer has done it.
Alan, I totally agree. I’ve been arguing with this guy for a week at least, fruitlessly, because he completely refuses to read or even acknowledge the existence of the joint policy on domestic violence. That part is worrisome enough, but then we get the total caveman reasoning “but she asked for it,” and that goes way over a bright, clear line as far as I’m concerned. The policy deals with the issue of consent and the wording makes it pretty apparent that a person can’t give consent to being harmed. Either way, it’s difficult for me to imagine anyone using this as a defense. Bauer isn’t going to get anywhere with it, at least under the policy. Legally, I don’t know, but legal considerations are unlikely to matter, as I doubt in the end that any charges will be filed. We’ll see how this all plays out but my prediction is those who approach this with their caveman logic are going to be outraged by the outcome.
Alan – Appreciate the response – Quality no doubt, Mr Blue Skies can learn a thing or 2 about a healthy dialogue
Blue- I asked you to buzz off politely – Same ole tired Joint Policy babble , Im thinking now you authored that worthless piece of crap or something at this point. Its a joke and not reliable. Ill wipe my ass with it next time duty calls and think of ya bud
Newayz- I hope my children never turn out to have a sad unforgiving stale heart such as yourself Blue . You are the exactly the typre of person that gives us LA natives a bad name throwing stones from your glass house whenever you get a chance . Stay off my posts please w your generic frontrunning takes
Point proven, as if it needed to be. You live in an unreality that apparently includes the strange idea that you own these boards. If you continue to post misinformation, it will get a response.
What did you think of your girls texts that were revealed yesterday Blue?
Or shall we live up in the clouds some more and make it about how your offended from your couch on something you know nothing about?
The fundamental problem with all of your responses to this issue is your refusal to understand or to even read the joint policy, when it is in fact the only thing that actually matters here. So when a penalty is handed down in this instance I have no doubt you will be howling at the moon about how unfair it is, even though, as part of their terms of employment, every player is contractually obligated to abide by it. Taking the position you have is not just unrealistic, it’s frankly ridiculous.
dlw09065 hours ago
What’s interesting is that not only has Kershaw never pitched over 33 games in a season.
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It’s a big conversation, but I am not sure why.
From 2010-2015, Kershaw was #3 in IPs, so it’s not like he had light use. And mostly what I see is normal pitching aging. Even over the past 5 years, he is still #14 in IPs.
All I see is someone getting older.
Shaw one of my all time favs-
Saying that I wouldn’t go a hair over 3/75 and Id strongly look to get that 3rd year as a team option if I could-
That will be the Bellinger/Urias/Muncy walk year so cash will be pertinent that year
Kershaw currently has 184 wins.
At 33 years old, 34 in March, winning 66 more for 250 still seems possible.