Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced Friday that Dodgers right-hander Trevor Bauer has received a 324-games suspension — two full seasons’ worth of games — effective today. That the suspension is effective today, rather than beginning retroactively last summer from the point Bauer was placed on administrative leave, indicates that Bauer will be suspended, without pay, through April 2024. Bauer, unsurprisingly, announced that he intends to appeal the commissioner’s decision. He tweeted the following statement:
“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.”
The Dodgers issued the following statement in reaction to commissioner Manfred’s decision:
“Today we were informed that MLB has concluded its investigation into allegations that have been made against Trevor Bauer, and the Commissioner has issued his decision regarding the discipline. 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.”
Major League Baseball originally placed Bauer on administrative leave on July 14, 2021, in the wake of sexual assault allegations from a California woman who filed a temporary ex parte restraining order against him. For months, Bauer remained in limbo as the legal process surrounding the allegations played out. In August, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied a permanent restraining order to the alleged victim, bringing a close to that civil hearing. Potential criminal charges loomed as a possibility, however, dependent on the findings of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.
That process dragged into the new year, but on Feb. 8, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office announced that criminal charges would not be brought forth. The DA’s office did not declare Bauer innocent nor guilty, but rather determined that, “After a thorough review of the available evidence, including the civil restraining order proceedings, witness statements and the physical evidence, the People are unable to prove the relevant charges beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Bauer, who announced this week that he has filed a defamation lawsuit against his accuser, has been on administrative leave throughout the first several weeks of the 2022 season as Manfred and his office have conducted their own investigation into the matter. The league ostensibly opted not to begin conducting that investigation until the outcome of the legal proceedings were known, which has regularly been the case in past instances pertaining to the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse policy.
Today’s suspension for Bauer is the longest ban ever handed out under that policy, which does grant the commissioner’s office the authority to unilaterally impose discipline even in the absence of criminal charges. In essence, the suspension absolves the Dodgers of the remainder of the commitment owed to Bauer, who signed a three-year, $102MM contract in the 2020-21 offseason. That could change, depending on the outcome of Bauer’s forthcoming appeal.
A note from MLBTR owner Tim Dierkes: Though our normal policy is to close comments on posts relating to domestic violence, I have chosen to leave them open on this post. Given the magnitude of the news, MLBTR readers are going to discuss it no matter what, and leaving comments open here will help contain the discussion to this post rather than unrelated ones.
This is by nature a sensitive topic. Some readers may want to avoid the comments section on this post entirely, while others may employ use of the mute button. MLBTR’s commenting policy still applies.
Bullspit! It better be retroactive and he is going to appeal
I agree with this, the suspension needs to be retroactive. If they want to impose a two year ban moving forward they should have made it longer, to include games missed, then add in the two years. But this just makes it sound like guess work.
What a farce . Ozuna and Chapman can play but Bauer gets 2 years on top of missing a year already. What a joke
Bauer was paid for the 10 months he missed so far.
Did not realize he had been paid while out.
Players Union will definitely have something to say about this. Sneaking suspicion that Manfred and the Dodgers were in cahoots about the length of suspension coinciding with the length of Bauer’s contract- plus the fact that similar or worse domestic crimes did not have nearly as harsh penalties handed out to players.
Bauer never committed a crime. This was an ugly personal matter between two consenting adults. Any suspension, in light of not being permitted to pitch since July of 2021 is vindictive and shows no semblance of fairness. I hope that Bauer wins his appeal.
Yes, players are paid while on administrative leave under the policy. The unique circumstance here is the length of the leave and the number of times it was extended. Unless they were thinking they could claw back money already paid to the player they had no realistic means for making it retroactive that doesn’t leave the Dodgers holding the bag.
They agreed to their suspensions and served their time. That’s how you get to play again. Bauer very likely never will, so that’s why no team is likely to want him again. He continues to make bad choices. And that’s just way too sad to be a joke.
I think the players union is in on it. I think all parties are trying to blackball him
Bauer will not win his appeal. He may get the suspension reduced, but not eliminated. When he loses, he will sue. Bet on it.
It can be explained a thousand times that the policy has absolutely nothing to do with crimes and yet some people will never, ever get it.
The players union is “in” on it because this is a joint policy created by MLB and the MLBPA. So it would be very weird if the union wasn’t “in on it.”
“Baseball history”, not sure how you know what happened, but just because it was a “personal matter between two consenting adults” in no way means a crime wasn’t committed.
That’s crazy talk.
And we should all know by now that with rich athletes, just because there’s no conviction doesn’t mean there was no crime committed…
Yes, I was wondering why It was a suspension without out pay going forward instead of adding time served but He was suspended with pay so kinda hard to give him an an unpaid 2 year suspension with time served if the time served was paid.
Should we go for 1001 times? The policy has nothing to do with crimes. Players who commit crimes don’t get suspended under the policy, they are put on the ineligible list (where they are not paid). The policy isn’t for them, at all.
i completely agree with you. The dodgers and the mlb office is lock step on this. The fact that there are players who actually admitted guilt or caught red handed are playing after minor suspensions. Have we not learned anything from the erroneous accusations levelled against people in the last 20 years that have destroyed their lives while the accusers see no punishment or are rewarded with book deals and endorsements. Disgraceful
Agreeing to the policy is not the same thing as the players union thinking it’s ok to hand out an imbalanced suspension that coincides with the end of a players contract. The commissioner works for the teams and does not have the players best interest- it just sounds a lot like they conspired to end Bauer because of his dirty laundry.
players union is on the player side first.
if not than why have one?
Fried baloney. The MLBPA didn’t just “agree” to the policy, they were a party to creating it, and the procedure described in it. But I should know better than to try to talk anyone out of a conspiracy theory. They are so much more satisfying than reality.
It was mentioned in every article every time they exstended it
Then it should be about domestic violence.
That’s not what happened at all.
Well I’m not impressed either.
I’d say “read the policy,” but I know you won’t do it. So your opinion is as informed as it can be, which is not at all.
Would getting it reduced not count as a “win?”
Neither Ozuna nor Chapman nor any of the others has received two years. A judge refused to grant the woman a restraining order and prosecutors said they didn’t hve enough to prosecute a case against Bauer. he is suing her for defamation.
The woman said she has had sex with two of the Padres, including Tatis Jr.,
If you read Twitter, Trevor Bauer is one of the most outspoken players on social media, and often critical of the way baseball does things. Sometimes I agree with him; sometimes I don’t. But in light of the firing of Ken Rosenthal for making the lightest critccism of Boy Manfred, it looks like BAuer was targeted and cancelled for his outspokenness.
IOW, this is an unfair, punitive, and vengeful punishment designed to destroy Bauer’s career. Typical of Boy Manfred, and anothe reason why MLB is going down the tubes.
The players union represents all the players. As best I can tell only one player wants Trevor Bauer to play Major League Baseball.
The rest are glad to have him out of sight and mind.
@ jimthegoat In the case of this player, I would say no, because his (completely unrealistic) position is he didn’t violate the policy. Should be noted that in every other case the player negotiated a suspension with MLB and the PA, accepted responsiblity, served his time, and got on with his career. This player won’t do any of that. He’ll sue instead and then complain about how teams don’t hire players who sue instead of following employment policies. And ironically if he had gone the negotiation route, his suspension might well have been shorter to begin with.
I’m wondering how ugly the full facts are, there is probably a lot we don’t know. Ozuna and Chapman are total scum and deserved a lot more than they got imo. I figured maybe a year but 2 is quite the hit – I expect it to be reduced as part of a plea agreement, or maybe MLB already tried that with Bauer and he refused to go along so they said ‘screw you’ and gave him the full blast.
No one knows what was uncovered during MLB’s lengthy investigation, I doubt that any appeal would be successful. And contrary to popular belief, someone is not innocent if a prosecutor declines to bring charges. It simply means that they don’t think they can prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, a high bar in the judicial system.
@baseballhistory
It was not two consenting adults, hence the restraining order and criminal investigation.
@Tim Phares. Every case is different. This suspension probably would have been shorter had the player done what everyone else has so far, but that involves taking personal responsibility. We’ve seen how he just isn’t capable of doing that.
What a judge said make zero difference to the policy. So that would be at least 1002 times now. But again I know you can’t talk anyone out of a conspiracy theory. They are way too emotionally satisfying.
@Cmurphy But if a prosecutor declines to bring charges, it most certainly means it is more likely that the individual is innocent than if they did bring charges but the individual was found not guilty. The bar is higher to convict than it is to bring charges.
Not at all. A lack of charges means exactly what the DA says above, that the charges would be difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.
A lack of charges is fairly common in the type of he said/she said cases like Bauer’s.
If the charges would be difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, isn’t it reasonable to believe that Bauer is more likely to be factually innocent than if the charges were not difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt?
Well said Tim Phares. Manfred is a sensitive little fella. Like many, they get combative and vindictive when called out for their issues. Weak “leaders”
Idk about black balling him but i do feel like everyone in baseball, the Dodgers, MLB itself, other players and the union itself, would rather he just go away tbh….unfortunately he cant or wont take the hint!! But i think at some point someone in his camp should point out that he got paid exorbitantly well over almost a year to not pitch and that wasting that money and more to sue MLB will only lead to more misery in the long run, although i guess when your name is already mud, whats the diff lol
@Comet….Using the euphemism “dirty laundry,” makes me wonder what you do to your clothes.
My only issue (and it’s the obvious one) is that he is seemingly being suspended for an accusation – that’s it, at this point. The court found nothing, and although this is not a legal matter, one has to have more than the original application for temporary injunction (or the accusation) to proceed with a workplace suspension of this magnitude for this reason, especially for a person of this status. MLB can effectuate discipline for matters it believes the employee violated, within reason, because it’s a work policy, not law.
The reason simply may not have been presented publicly, but it certainly looks as though this is a statement by MLB based on what may have happened. They do have to concern themselves with reputational damage without any proof, however, which could fall right in Manfred’s lap. Trying to do the right thing doesn’t protect an employer from libel or slander.
Interesting case to follow, but I do wonder if we have all the facts that MLB does. If we do, they will have some issues with this in the future.
Baseballhistory. I wonder how you would be reacting if Bauer had sex with your daughter while she was unconscious? I am guessing you would have a much different opinion. Sorry my man but having sex with someone that is knocked out is against the rules are in the place for baseball. They were talking about it today on radio here in LA.
while I’m sure the Bauer situation holds some Homoeroticism for subbys like @TimPhares and @stanton100 I feel the bigger picture here is that Bauer is in breach of the terms of his contract. Or at least MLB and Dodgers believe as much and they have taken union-negotiated steps to enforce said terms. This isn’t about what gets Trevor off (or those who inexplicably are so fanatical in his defence). It’s about legally and morally protecting the brand.
prove it because the jury didn’t indict him
@greenmonster08 How is he in breach of the terms of his contract but Marcell Ozuna, Odubel Herrera, Hector Olivera, Jose Reyes and whoever else it was weren’t?
@greenmonster08. The Dodgers have nothing to do with this decision. The fact-finding and the process involved are entirely in the hands of the commissioner. MLB and the PA jointly adopted this approach as well as the behavior policy Bauer so clearly violated.
@thelegendaryharambe. They were suspended under the policy, took responsibility for their actions like grownups and served their suspensions. That’s how the policy works. What part of this are you not getting?
Can the snark Blue. Not everyone here is as sophisticated as you. Some of us are trying to catch up to this unusual situation.
So now it’s “snark” to state facts, and “sophisticated” to know what you are talking about before stating an opinion? What a world.
This situation isn’t so usual. Lots of players have been sanctioned under the policy since it was adopted, around a dozen. As baseball fans we should know about them. This one is only unusual because of the player’s claim of being a special case. He is, sort of, but not in a good way.
@cmurphy
Well, legally a person is presumed innocent until PROVEN guilty in a court of law. Since it never got that far, all that can be said legally is that Bauer is presumed to be innocent. That doesn’t mean he is innocent morally or societally, but legally he is.
It’s conjecture to say Bauer never committed a crime. He was never tried, and convicted in court. But MLB doesn’t have to follow the law.
Very similar to steroids.
He should sue right now.
I mean, it has *something* to do with crimes, because it doesn’t get activated unless MLB suspects one has been committed (assuming you see DV as a crime like the rest of us?). I think you mean it has nothing to do with whether there is a conviction.
IF that is what happened. IF. You don’t know, and I don’t know, and nobody here knows. Unless MLB actually knows for sure, because the courts didn’t, then it’s an incredibly risky move for MLB to suspend him based off an accusation. And if they do know for sure, then why couldn’t the courts convict? Strange all around.
Except they usually ban for steroids when a player fails a test (thereby having physical proof). So actually, very different.
@BleedingBlue… agreed. I was only referring to the comment that said there was nothing to it because prosecutors weren’t bringing charges. Hell, some get off on technicalities and are guilty as can be. The justice system is not infallible. However, MLB, as an employer and the player, bound by a CBA, have different standards than a court of law. MLB ruled he couldn’t work in their organization, not be put in a 6 x 8 cell.
I imagine MLB found enough out during their investigation to warrant the suspension. I doubt the public will know the extent of what they found.
He hit three women, that’s foul
@mmyechoandbunnymen And you know this as a ‘fact’ how? Yet here you are on a baseball board proclaiming it “IS” fact. Can you provide your full name phone number and address so I can pass it to Trevor Bauer so he can sue you too. + the 10 potatoes that up voted you.
@jnorthey So you’ve seen the full footage of the Ozuna incident, and you’re calling him scum. I love it how people like you comment on people and situations you know nothing about. “Scum” indeed. Find that rock and crawl back under it.
@Stymeedone
Right, so she was just in Bauer’s room and was there against her will, right? And somehow then later she was in a bed with Bauer without her clothes. Got it. Why weren’t the police called immediately?
@DodgerJr
Your proof of “unconsciousness” is where exactly?
There is another woman coming forward in Ohio.
@Hippyripper
Did he? Then why isn’t he in jail?
As you know, I frequently find myself in a “different place” than where land here. That said, I found all of your comments on this post to be spot on! Thanks for sharing and hopefully helping more than a few people learn about the policy agreement reached between mlb and the players, how that differs from the criminal process and Bauer’s history. Appreciate the time and thought you put into your responses–which were the best on this thread.
Repetitively reciting the rule over and over again does not mean you know what you are talking about, Blue. You are certainly correct about said rule but only Manfred knows, if you are correct about anything else. I took exception to the way you belittled others not the rules agreed upon. You usually make good points and I read your comments with interest. So, can the snark and allow others to state their opinions, right or wrong.
This message is in reply to @blue skies_LA
Sorry, for the confusion
A person cannot consent to be assaulted. Otherwise billionaires could routinely sign contracts to murder people, with the payout going to the family of the deceased. But someone who tries to give consent to an assault makes for a very bad witness in a trial. The defence can easily impugn their character before a jury. Outside witnesses are required. There are rarely eyewitnesses to sexual activity.
@fox471 Dave. Not sure how I could have repeatedly recited the rule without having quoted it even once. I do suggest that others read the policy, though, as I believe it makes a lot of what is going on now a lot clearer. Not sure what else you are talking about, quite honestly. I have no power to prevent anyone from expressing their opinions but if they’re uniformed or conspiracy theories they should not go unanswered. Sorry if correcting erroneous statements hurts anyone’s feelings.
@ norcalblue. Thanks. I kind of instantly regretted getting sucked into this discussion so it’s nice to hear someone got something out of it.
The MLBPA has already said they approve of the suspension.
@blueskies Both Bauer and his agent admitted he broke the rules.
DODGER JR – What a ridiculous comment. You don’t have to be a father to know what’s right or wrong. It all comes back to what was agreed to and what wasn’t agreed to. Did the person take advantage of Bauer’s persona or did Bauer abuse her unfairly based on their agreed to activities.
Average people don’t believe in these types of scenarios so let me ask you would your daughter agree to this type of behavior in general? See, that’s why your comment is so inappropriate. Most parents would never want their child to be part of such an extreme interpersonal actions. I don’t think you would condone her being there in the first place so judging this for you is a moral issue not a freedom of choice issue.
You seem to think this type of behavior shouldn’t happen between two consenting adults. That’s why your comments are biased. Just look at the facts without emotion. Was the contract for services stipulated up front and is damage expected by both parties prior to the act. If the court says he didn’t exceed the terms of the contract, then your point is meaningless. We all can understand where you are coming from but it’s not fair to Bauer to judge him for being what some might consider a freak, just like the girl.
The courts ruled there was enough evidence that Bauer stayed within the agreed upon parameters of their contract.
I’m not pro Bauer or against Bauer. I just think if a judge or jury says he’s not guilty then all the MLB can do is tell Bauer he has brought embarrassment to the league. Unfortunately, league sponsors are the puppeteers behind Manfred so I’m sure he asked them what it would take to have them not pull their support for MLB.
It’s always about money. If sponsors would get heat from various organizations for supporting MLB when the public perception is the punishment of Bauer was too light despite Bauer being found innocent then MLB simply chooses maintained sponsorship over the rights of Bauer.
We have seen husbands beat their wives on video and yet what Bauer did was more impactful emotionally when thinking about it yet not as egregious because of the agreed to details that were not violated.
Like anything that is taboo to the public, those who choose to influence society will do so by putting the undue and unfair pressure on Manfred to severely punish Bauer.
This is a case of the societal influencers flexing their muscles to prove that they can. Dictating that a player can’t partake in private actions that are agreed to by both parties as established by the court case is a very slippery slope.
Baseball has totally lost perspective on what they stand for when it comes to their rules. The players that cheated in up to 90 games and potentially impacted the results of those games got no punishment. The three amigos got a 60 game suspension (1 yr during COVID) and a guy who gets accused and acquitted of a crime but reflects badly on the sport get nearly 3 years.
That’s messed up. If he was found guilty, a lifetime ban just like Cora, Hinch and Beltran deserved would have worked for me. Now we have the powers that be in Major League Baseball minimizing the biggest cheating scandal in baseball yet dropping the hammer on a guy who thought he was privately engaging in some unusual and taboo behavior.
Public opinion is all that matters. If the public knew that Selig changed the source of the baseballs in 1995 and that steroids were used in the 1970s and never showed an impact on HRs then the steroid era would have been the juiced ball era instead and the hatred of entire generation of players would never have happened.
By pummeling Bauer with this suspension. Players are going to have to fear an escalation of false allegations against them because the penalty for creating a negative public event has just dramatically jumped. Money used to be the answer but now money is only the answer for cheating, public embarrassment brings suspensions!!
There is just one problem, no judge or jury found Bauer innocent . The DA declined to prosecute because they felt there would be little chance of a successful prosecution.
Any woman engaging in a D/S relationship would have a hard time with a case like this. If there was abuse beyond agreed upon limits there would be bias against her in the general jury population for being a ” freak” engaging in such a lifestyle and she must have wanted it. The comments from many in this thread are proof positive of that lack of understand – lots of ” she most have wanted it ” comments. The fact 2 other women have come forward, reinforces a habit here.
The thing I don’t get unless Bauer has the mental maturity of a 14 yr old is why a high profile wealthy athlete engaging in a D/s relationship wouldn’t have agreed limits in WRITING to CYA.
KD17, no court ruled on anything. The DA declined to prosecute because he didn’t feel there was enough evidence to prove guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt. Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. MLB has all the evidence they need to suspend Bauer in his own words.
Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy.
Yankee, Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. That policy does not say anything about being charged with a crime being necessary for suspending a player. In other cases where suspensions have happened under that policy, players have shown remorse and taken other actions to show they are changing their behavior. That is the reason behind softer sentences. In Bauer’s case, he showed no remorse nor a commitment to change. In fact, he doubled down and said on social media in since deleted posts that if MLB suspended him he would in essence burn the place down.
Comet, the MLBPA was part of creating this policy. Since it was collectively bargained, they cannot fight any penalty under it without opening the entire CBA to renegotiation. I highly doubt they will do that for Bauer.
baseballhistory, Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. Because of that he will lose any appeal. He will probably then sue MLB and he will lose for that very same reason. In fact, the discovery in a lawsuit would likely bring out other violations that could make it a permanent ban.
TalkSome and Outinleftfield – Thanks for the correction as to the acquittal. So there was no case, just an accusation that could not be proven so it was dropped? Isn’t that even more in Bauer’s favor or are you suggesting a corrupt District Attorney?
So where is the limit of the power of the MLB? What if a person exposes the fact that a player, coach, manager, owner or employee of an MLB organization likes to tie up their wife or vica versa? They float it on the internet despite it being a private act that was consensual?. Do we suspend the player or is that an invasion of privacy?
This is such a slipper slope. How far do you allow the MLB to intercede in your private life. Any public actions, sure that makes sense but private actions? Who gets to draw the line or do we just leave it up to the court of public opinion?
If Bauer admitted he hit a woman who he paid to hit because that is his taboo way of having fun and the woman professionally gets hit all the time by probably far less rich men, how does the Domestic Violence Policy get to reach across the rules of this taboo behavior to deem it something other than what it was, a contract for mutual abuse?
Again, I am in favor of the policy which was designed for internal conflicts within a family. Not a paid service. Does that mean if the policy states certain types of sexual acts are forbidden behind closed doors any evidence anonymously provided could render a suspension on the player? And think about that question because it’s a “family” issue not a paid service. Do you suppose the new policy specifically forbids players from doing specific acts that can be paid for that are considered rougher than what many might consider normal?
I think the interpretation of the power of this Policy has been grossly exaggerated in this case. There are many great reasons to have the policy but MLB has dramatically extrapolated the power of the policy to keep sponsors and punish a player who wants to challenge the rule.
It’s irrelevant that Bauer wants to burn the place down. He’s not talking literally he’s saying he’s going to fight for his right to do what he wants to do off the field behind closed doors and agreed to by the other party. This isn’t a business that just suddenly popped up, it’s been around for centuries. If the DA couldn’t prosecute then one must believe the rules of engagement were not violated, otherwise this should have been a slam dunk and Bauer would be in jail.
We watch men and women pound each other on television and huge arenas every week in the name of sport. Boxing, MMA etc etc all involve physical confrontations that violate the rules of conduct of this policy. They violate the letter of the law but not the spirit of the law. This abuse Policy was targeted at specific actions and I guarantee you the clause does not specifically mention any kinky sexual acts that might be concocted by two consenting adults. The woman was a professional being paid for her services that were found not to have been violated based on a lack of evidence. I also read this woman had issues with other athletes which moves her into a different category, not victim but an opportunist.
So whether you like Bauer or not. The idea that a policy by the MLB could supersede a contract to engage another professional in a sport that involves physical contact like boxing, MMA or even something sexual seems far reaching and unenforceable.
Why not use the policy to stop the egregious behavior of husbands, boyfriends etc. and not limit baseball players in their extra curricular activities in private sessions. To think a player could be suspended for 3 years for engaging in a boxing match or MMA match with a friend seems absurd. That’s too much power and can’t be what was agreed to by the players association. I’m guessing they wanted the violence within the family unit or interpersonal relations of the players to be something the player is accountable for.
I doubt the goal was to dictate what type of sexual activity a player can have behind closed doors and within the scope of the contract. Think about the number of suspensions that would need to be levied if the policy is that all inclusive. It makes no sense. The intent of the policy should be followed not extrapolated to the point of invading a players civil liberties..
What the MLB feels about Bauer and what Bauer feels about the MLB is irrelevant with respect to the allegations and the punishment. Creating grey areas by the MLB while enforcing this policy is prejudicial.
The only thing I see is that this entire situation was bad for the image of baseball so suspending him is completely reasonable. It’s been a year so I figured on the one year mark he would be reinstated. To expand that another two years is vindictive and excessive.
What ever happened to creating rules that are consistent, defined and executed fairly to all parties. Leave the personalities and relationships out of it. Cora, Hinch, and Beltran deserved a life time ban for the most significant cheating scandal the game has ever seen but got far less because the Commissioner did not follow precedent as he should have and he had personal relationships with the men involved that shortened their sentences significantly. That’s prejudicial and should not have been allowed. The precedent should have been followed..
Bauer deserved to be suspended like others who have embarrassed the game not 3 times as much because they had the power to be prejudicial in their ruling.
“A person cannot consent to be assaulted.”
Boxers do.
In addition to no charges being filed, there was a 4 day restraining order hearing. The judge in that hearing could have simply said Bauer wasn’t an ongoing threat without commenting on who’s version was correct. However, she added this (from ESPN):
The judge said the “injuries as shown in the photographs are terrible,” but added: “If she set limits and he exceeded them, this case would’ve been clear. But she set limits without considering all the consequences, and respondent did not exceed limits that the petitioner set.”
Seems like the judge went out of her way to say it was consensual. If that’s the case, can a player be suspended for rough consensual sex that is embarrassing for the league? Personally, that kind of behavior is disgusting and I don’t understand how anyone would enjoy hitting someone or being hit, but it seems like a line should be drawn at consent when it comes to punishment. Otherwise the league’s powers are arbitrary when it comes to punishing sexual encounters.
@BlueSkies_LA I have not read all the responses yet, but I wanted to thank you for being a voice of reason in a sea of bs. Not sure I would have been so nice.
This — exactly this. Bauer didn’t just refuse to accept a specific deal. He refused to even speak to the investigators and vowed to fight any suspension whatsoever. His hard stance and refusal to cooperate is completely unprecedented and the league responded with the longest suspension handed down to send a message about how this approach will be met. If it loses it will basically ensure that he is the last player to go to was w the league over the policy to which his players association agreed.
He IS you. Same IP address means the same house. The only way you get people to agree with you is to create a 2nd account? That is hilarious.
This is all about one thing and one thing only. He spoke the truth about some very serious matters, and now they are out to ruin him. That is the real truth.
He is being railroaded
Bauer agreed to the rule he is being suspended for violating when he signed his contract.
As several have pointed out MLB is neither constrained by the need for criminal charges nor by consent issues.
Bauer admitted he committed violence during sex. That is all MLB needs to suspend him. His appeal will fail for that reason.
You’re Pads Fans
He was getting paid during that time off, so it doesn’t count.
He has been on a paid leave of absence. So he hasn’t been plying, but getting paid. This suspension takes effect now and ends his paid time he has been getting
Geez how thick can you people be? You can’t retroactive an unpaid suspension when the guy never lost a paycheck. Steve spelled that out but people still don’t get it? Unreal.
I agree with MLB’s decision to suspend Bauer for two years without pay.
When you look at Bauer’s conduct he has harmed the economic vitality of baseball.
Bauer gets to keep approximately $40 million for 2021 and a snippet of 2022. If the suspension was applied retroactively, it would not benefit Bauer, since I vaguely recall that his contract called for $38 million in 2021, and $32 million for each of 2022 and 2023.
It will be interesting to see if a foreign baseball team offers Bauer an opportunity to pitch during his suspension.
To me, the length of the suspension is neither too long nor too short. I would have been OK if it had been through the end of 2023 and letting him start in Spring Training 2024.
I would find plausible that for a contract of Bauer’s size that the Dodgers asked him about any skeletons in his closet. If such questions were asked, I would speculate that Bauer was not candid.
MLB wants him gone permanently. This does that.
He is suing the girl in court now and will probably go after her for lost wages and all damages
So he should be all good then money wise I guess.
In other news blac China has the sided to go in front of Rob Manford in her case against The Kardashian family.
I doubt she has this much money.
Assuming she has $70,000,000 on her. But hey, who doesn’t?
Hahaha
Listening to radio out of LA it seems that people don’t know Trevor Bauer have stated that he intends to go any means necessary against major league baseball and the woman in court to have this overturned and clear his name. The one statement that was said was he’s willing to go nuclear scorched earth declare his name
Clear his name
Some of us have been saying for close to a year now that he intends to do as much damage to baseball as he can. Nothing to do with clearing his name. He said himself he’s only good at two things, throwing a baseball and pissing people off. Since he can’t do the former he will do as much as he can of the latter.
I well the girl better be prepared to be completely exposed mentally physically financially. By the time he gets done with this girl Tammy (Sunny) Synch is going to look like a nun
Baseball intends to do as much damage to Bauer as it can.
@alhirschen
Didn’t O.J. say he wasn’t going to sleep until he found who murdered his wife? People say lots of things.
@Tim Phares. Total hogwash. Bauer’s poor judgement got him into this situation, and his continued poor judgment is only making it worse. He has nobody to blame but himself, but people who can’t accept responsibility for themselves don’t know how to deal with it in any way but to lash out. This is what we’re seeing.
You’re right. But I’m $69,999.946 short. But Social Security is due soon.
Agreed.
For people thinking this was a setup (and it might have been), the lady needed to find a guy willing to beat the crap out of her. And she did in Bauer.
So at best, Trevor is a guy who patrols social media looking for women to either cyberbully or beat up while having sex. Neither of which is good.
Illegal? Not for me to say. But, signs of good judgement or what most employers want representing them in the public eye? No way.
Rather than realizing these are issues, Trevor thinks he’s done nothing wrong.
@HalosHeavenJJ Rob Manfred is not (or at least should be) in the business of kink-shaming.
Yes, Manfred isn’t in the business of kink-shaming, but he is in the business of selling a product to the general public where Bauer’s kink is viewed very, very negatively by the vast majority. Kicking him out of baseball wouldn’t hurt MLB one iota, but letting him pitch might hurt. I could imagine some would do protests at his starts or ugly signs at the parks, or other bad press. The easiest and best thing for MLB is to get Bauer to go away, and the same for others who think beating up sexual partners is fun (consensual or not).
Now that’s the Trevor I know.
And I watched him for seven years.
A disturbed.fellow with irrational impulses and shiploads of issues. Five cents, please.
Cool….blow up mlb
I have yet to hear a woman say that she dated Trevor Bauer, slept with him, and he was a gentleman. Just saying.
@BlueSkiesLA
Whether he made poor judgement or not has nothing to do with it, does it. He’s entitled to justice, and he’s also entitled to be judged on facts, not assertions that can’t be proven.
@Fred McGriff. He’s entitled to be judged according to the code of conduct he agreed to abide by when he signed an MLB contract. And yes, his judgement has everything to do with it. In fact just about the only thing. He wouldn’t be in this situation if he’d shown any judgement. Your suggestion that the commissioner reached his decision without any basis in fact is pure speculation at best, and it’s illogical besides.
I think only one fact needed to be known. The fact that Bauer and his agent admitted he beat and strangled that woman during rough sex.
Whether or not it was consensual is beside the point. The violent acts were what is against the rules.
Al, all he is be doing is burying himself further. Damn near impossible to win a defamation lawsuit.
What lost wages? He got a ten month paid vacation.
He hasn’t lost any wages. He’s been paid the whole time.
Let’s play a little hypothetical with how some of the crazies in this thread see things:
He has sued her. Therefore, applying the same logic they apply to Bauer, she is guilty, even if the courts don’t convict her. She should therefore lose her job or at least be suspended, because an accusation is as good as proof, right?
Innocent until proven guilty. You’d be dismayed if you weren’t treated the same, yet people here want to trample all over it. SMH.
I don’t like Bauer, and I don’t like the Dodgers, but this whole MLB suspension thing stinks.
@ukpadre Being sued is very different than being charge with a crime. Bauer wasn’t sued, at least not yet. A woman, or women, filed a police report against him, seeking criminal charges. Civil courts have lower bars of “guilt” (i.e. OJ Simpson).
I agree that he’s innocent until proven guilty. But his demeanor isn’t helping his cause in the court of public opinion. I thought it was quick for Chris Noth to be fired with one accusation. But a lot of these contracts contain moral clauses and companies are quick to use them to protect their own interests.
All of you wannabe Perry Masons talking about guilt and innocence are missing the point by miles. The policy at work here is not a law, it’s a code of conduct for employees of MLB and was agreed to by the employees of MLB. Bauer feeling he is special and exempt from the policy has exactly nothing to do with the law and everything to do with who he is.
UK, Bauer admitted he committed violence during sex. The only question was consent. MLB doesn’t need to take into account content. Bauer broke MLBs rule. He’s done.
He will lose. He admitted that he did what she said. He just claimed it was consensual. Now he has to prove that it was not only consensual but that she also intended to do him harm. That’s a tough row to hoe.
I shall call you Super Dickburns of the Galaxy Profile Change #248!
The burden of proof in defamation cases is so high that I can’t believe that a guy that admitted he did the things she claimed, just with consent, could win the suit.
Certainly he can’t say that she was making false claims when he admitted he did those things. He also can’t say that false claims caused him damage. It was the truth that he admitted to that caused him damage.
His attorney will make lots of money and Bauer will still lose.
I believe Manfred has a vendetta against Bauer. He was the one that shed light on the spider tack issue. He was the one that said MLB should do something about it since spin rates were becoming out of control. Instead of fixing the issue, MLB choose to ignore it so Bauer started using it himself. Because Bauer made exposed MLB and the cheating that is going, he became the focal point of the spider tack investigation. Only in MLB does the whistle blower get targeted. Now MLB has their revenge, a 2 year unjust suspension.
Exactly.
Where is Mike Fiers now?
Pitching in Mexico because he had a 7.71 ERA last year.
Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. No vendetta needed to suspend him. Just his own words.
I wonder if this has anything to do with foreign substances and spin rate and trevor calling players out before using it himself and winning a cy young.
Damn that’s insane….and DeShaun Watson will likely play football next year for raping multiple women.
Yup. 324 game is pure insanity. He wasn’t even criminally charged. Wouldn’t be surprised if he sued baseball if the appeal was lost
Contracts they exist for a reason…..
That’s not how this works Misfit…..
I’m sure you’d have that same energy if that was your sister he did that to
Bout time
So are the Dodgers still on the hook for the salary or no? Haven’t seen a beat writer address this but I assume they’re not? Anyone know?
no. It’s without pay.
I would think, no.
And they get helped out when the luxury tax bill hits.
Or more money to spend…
The Dodgers are among Manfred’s pets.
Bull!
All suspensions are unpaid. And you should also understand that for the last 10 months he has not been “suspended” but rather, on “administrative leave.” Players on administrative leave ARE paid.
And just like that the Dodgers get bailed out on a bad contract.
The Dodgers already paid the big part of his contract. It’s not as good as it sounds.
They don’t have that $40 MM luxury tax hit.
Actually, not true. Roughly $60 million of the $102 million contract has NOT been paid and will never be paid if the suspension is sustained.
Indeed. Makes me wonder if the suspension would’ve been less if he wasn’t costing the Dodgers money.
The Dodgers suddenly have several Brinks trucks of more money. As if they weren’t good or rich enough already. This will go through the life of the contract and then some. Many Dodgers did not want him back and they got their wish. I guess the investigation took so long the commish felt he had to hand out two years.
Dodgers paid just over a third of this contract. They’re saving over 60 million between this year and next.
I probably believe him over the Woke mob but who cares. **** the Dodgers!
This mute function is dope. Thanks MLBTR.
Your loss. The dude just set my house ablaze with all the fire he was spittin
Former Twitter employees.
Right-o; just mute the lowlifes among us and say no more!
Oh no. The little snow flake culture warrior used the word woke. Tell us more about what you’ve been told to believe because you don’t know how to think.
Guys like this crack me up. The opposite of so-called woke is asleep. So you’re proud of being knocked out while the rest of the world moves on. Congrats on that
The opposite of ‘woke’ in today’s culture is something called ‘sane.’
The only people who use “woke” are the ones using it in a derogatory fashion.
Or old people that just learned what it meant. Kinda same thing I guess
Yawn. The only people even using the so called woke term anymore are guys who apply it to anyone who believes in any notions of progress or equality. They also tend to really miss the days when you could be openly racist and misogynistic without any consequences. But hey, if that’s your sane, knock yourself out.
Or normal people.
“yOu’Re A rAcIsT cAuSe YoUr OpInIoNs ArE dIfFeReNt”
-some clown who lacks critical thinking skills
Preach Dadi!
golly gee wiz you’re really into Bauer – I bet your browser history and images/vids on your computer tell a fun story – do Joe Paterno next
Person 1: says something explicitly racist
Person 2: that’s racist
Person 1: “yOu’Re a rAcIsT cAuSe YoUr OpInIoNs ArE dIfFeReNt”
Show me the racist comment? I’ll wait…
Indeed, “All Leftists lack critical thinking skills.”
I tried for almost 10 minutes to sum it up, and this did a much better job. Accurate.
The ones calling people Snowflakes cry when they don’t get their way. The only people talking about Woke culture are the 1st people to be agree with blatantly hypocritical positions from within a the political party of their choice. Wish people would take the time to look at both sides of issues before abandoning sanity online.
@Yadi Dadi
“Progress” “equality”….laughable what you call progress or equality.
It’s also laughable what you call ‘racism’ & ‘misogyny’.
You probably also think that only ‘old white men’ can be ‘racist’ or ‘misogynistic’ as well.
#AwakeNotWoke #GetWokeGoBroke
You really want to leave comments open on this, MLBTR?
I can’t imagine there are two opposing sides to this so the banter should be mild…should be.
Welcome to 21st century America, not two sides…hahah…you’re hilarious
The fruitcake party in Ohio now wants women to give birth to their rapist’s babies. So, yeah.
Define ‘women’?
I’m not a biologist so I can’t sorry though
Amber Heard…such a gorgeous woman (never heard of her prior to the whole Depp situation). Too bad she is a narcissist and a good example as to why women should never be believed until evidence is shown.
Only knew her from her appearance in Zombieland (great movie btdubs)
Found the racist comment you asked for. Technically is misogynistic, but 12 in one hand, half dozen in the other as it were.
C’mon both Depp and Heard are tired retreads who have imbibed so much drugs and alcohol that both probably cannot remember every detail. The one who is lying is the one who has an open mouth. They should skip to the third party witnesses who can document physical or emotional abuse.
It’s kind of crazy they want to encourage commenting on other posts but not Bauer ones. Either allow it or not. Other posts aren’t exactly filled with Boy Scouts.
Elon Musk owns MLBTR now.
Didn’t; U hear? Elon Musk bought MLBTR
A crazy amount of time. I hope MLB has a strong case because this will end his career.
He’ll be 33. It will very seriously impact his earning potential when he hits free agency before the 2024 season, but his career will resume.
smuz… he will not get signed. 33 and 3 years away from pitching, plus the PR nightmare and the fact he is not well-liked already
All sorts of PR nightmare player have landed contracts before. Including those with criminal records. Can you think of anyone whose career ended at 33 due to PR implications?
And he may well play in a foreign league in 2023 to showcase himself.
@smuzq- Shoeless Joe was out at 32, maybe 33.
@Gwynning Shoeless Joe was banned for life. Bauer was not. At least not officially.
Thanks for backing up the point, Harambe!
“Can you think of anyone whose career ended at 33 due to PR implications?”
@smuzqwpdmx, can you give us a compare class, meaning a player who was suspended for 324 games, and almost three years when also factoring in administrative leave and the nature of his suspension?
I suspect MLB purposely made sure the suspension ran through the length of the contract so the Dodgers wouldn’t even be faced with the decision. He’s done. No team will risk the backlash signing him in these times.
MLB has also shown they can blacklist a player without leaving fingerprints. That’s why no team signed Barry Bonds for a very different reason, even though he was still a force at the plate at the end of his career.
Jesus. But then the PR machine went into overdrive and resurrected his image quite well.
Yasiel Puig is 31. But obviously Bauer is a better player.
Colin Kaepernick is 34. He was 30 in November 2017. He was always good enough to be a backup quarterback and maybe a starter for three or four teams.
The issue is can Bauer can his tone. [Keeping in mind that I do not believe Bauer or his highest-profile victim, for PR purposes he should have:] He should have had a PR team release a pre-recorded interview. It would say that he had had consensual sex with multiple jock groupies who had sexual fetishes. He deeply apologizes for letting down Dodgers teammates and fans for not considering that these casual flings with strangers would impact the team, his career and the sport of baseball. For that he is deeply ashamed and deeply humbled. He intends to not in change in such conduct because of his deep love for the game of baseball. While it is important for him to stress that these were consensual activities, he now realizes that engaging in such activities was a stupid mistake and he asks fans and future teammates alike to help him become a better person and to become an advocate for men and women alike to document their boundaries and limits when having sexual relations with a partner they do not know well.
Boom, he probably cuts at least half a year off his suspension. But he has to show humility and not portray himself as the victim.
His refusal to apologize or change, being totally unrepentant, is why his career is over.
His career might resume but who’d be willing to sign him. Not only does he have this hanging over him but spider tack has been banned
This does seem like a Cashman “aquistiion cost” special – let’s be honest character has never been the cornerstone of his regime.
@Greenmonster, injecting team trash talk in a serious thread about DV and a suspension is exactly why threads like this get shut down. The fact that you did is telling about you. Try to be better.
His comment was about baseball! I think that’s allowed.
That is the big advantage for him to pitch overseas. Owners will want to know if he is still elite. If Bauer is a serviceable number three starter, no one will touch him. If he is a top 15 pitcher in baseball, he will be back unless even more allegations come out. My understanding is the person in yesterday’s Washington Post already cooperated with MLB so that is already factored in.
I am not a big Cashman fan, but I think your post in this context is just trolling.
Three full years without pitching, will end his MLB career. Not officially, but for all intents and purposes.
Wait until he loses his appeal and sues everybody. See how many teams will want him after that.
What is worse for him is that during discovery for any lawsuit he might bring against MLB all of his communications would be opened up. Much more would come to light. Possibly more women. Certainly info about his cheating with spidertack and other sticky stuff. That would lead to more suspensions tacked on top of this one.
Well lucky for him he already has millions of dollars and doesn’t need to work for the rest of his life…”so sorry he can’t play his favorite game anymore” said no one ever
@Smuz, it’s the PR side I’m referencing. No team will sign him.
He could pitch in Japan
I don’t think that he will get an offer in NPB. but he will get a foreign offer somewhere.
Then again, NPB did embrace Wladmir Balentien and he was arrested (but i believe never convicted) on domestic violence charges.
I said to my late wife years ago that if Bauer didn’t stop criticizing MLB, they would find a wya to destroy him.
Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. The maximum penalty is a permanent ban from baseball. Less than 2 years is being lenient. If he had shown any remorse then he might have received less time. As it is he threatened to come out with accusations against other players and MLB if suspended. He is his own worst enemy.
MLB’s case is open and shut. Bauer admitted he strangled and beat the woman in question.
It doesn’t matter if it was consensual or not. Violent acts are against the rules that were in the article and in the contract Bauer signed.
If MLB had wanted to end his career, they could have given him the max penalty. They choose to give him less than 2 years, so they are leaving a return to MLB as an option.
For any team to sign him after his suspension is over, Bauer would have to accept his suspension, show at least some contrition, seek counseling for what is considered deviant behavior by society as a whole and medical professionals, and show a willingness to change his behavior.
I seriously doubt from his social media and comments in interviews that he has any intention of doing that. So no team will sign him.
What I have seen is that Bauer will appeal and has threatened to name names of players that have broken other rules. That won’t get him very far. Think about Jose Canseco. He is a pariah and not welcome anywhere in baseball today. That is Bauer’s future.
It’s a fair point that any consensual violent acts (choking, spanking, hair pulling.) may be forbidden by MLB policy. I don’t know enough to say for sure. But is MLB’s power absolute in determining what constitutes violence in a sexual context? The policy may be much broader than believed by the players.
Agreed Bauer’s career in MLB is probably over now.
seems quite exorbitant since the legal system found him not guilty
critter – “…the legal system found him not guilty”
Whoa – the legal system in no way found him not guilty. No charges were filed, which is way different.
The fact that they didn’t even have enough evidence to bring him to trial at all suggests that it is more likely that he didn’t do anything than it would be if there was enough evidence to bring him to trial but not enough for a conviction.
They chose not to prosecute. That’s different than “not enough evidence to bring him to trial.” DAs pass on unwinnable cases all the time. He said she said cases are non winners.
@jonbluvin BS. Them choosing not to prosecute exactly means there wasn’t enough evidence to bring him to trial. To waste, time, energy and money on a trial they know they won’t win.
@jimthegoat
As you said: to waste time, energy and money on a trial they won’t win, only points that they didn’t think they could win it. Whether or not they had enough evidence to go to trial would have required the time and resources to take it to a Grand Jury. They chose not to do that, so it cannot be known.
@stymeedone What I’m saying is the legal threshold to bring it to trial is lower than it is to convict. Some people in here seem to believe the opposite is true.
Innocent until proven guilty means he is effectively not guilty….but I guess we all forget that aspect in cancel culture as we pick up stones to throw
I’ll be a lot more concerned about cancel culture when I see someone actually get canceled.
Bingo, innocent until proven guilty —> he was never proven guilty, so he is INNOCENT. Because the alternative is whatever someone accuses you of, you did it, and that is far more wrong.
Ah blame cancel culture on not wanting a man to assault multiple women, you chose the best of foundations to stand on huh?
If you haven’t seen anyone get cancelled, you’re not paying attention.
@indiansjoe
As he had more than one woman step forward, including from the time he was in Cleveland, I will consider him as not being found guilty. I am doubtful of him ever being found innocent.
@topchuckle
Would you let him date your daughter?
@stymeedone The only way someone can be found innocent is if they have concrete proof (Emails, phone calls, etc) of the accuser (all accusers) detailing explicit plans to set the guy up.
And it’s not topchuckle’s choice who dates his daughter. It’s the daughter’s. This isn’t the 1800s anymore.
The phrase innocent until proven guilty refers to the burden of proof to convict and incarcerate. It is not an indicator of what actually happened. There is nothing wrong with any of us saying that we do not know exactly what happened. I do not see a criminal conviction to be had.
But based merely on the statements that Bauer himself has made or acknowledged, there is a basis for the business of baseball to suspend him for the good of the game and to protect the owners.
Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy so he is guilty of breaking MLB’s rules. That is all that matters in this suspension.
He admitted to having consensual rough sex. Is this enough to violate the policy, in your opinion?
@Thornt25, the answer to that question is yes. The policy is about the violent act itself. Its enough.
No it didn’t.
Yeah. They didn’t have enough evidence for it to even GET to that point. That means they have LESS of a case than if the legal system found him not guilty. Not more.
Most sexual assault cases go without charges because they are notoriously difficult to prove. It is far from proof of guilt or innocence
@Yadi Dadi Perhaps. But not charging him at all is closer to proof of innocence than charging him and losing would have been.
it threw the case out for lack of evidence
chrcritter… innocent until proven guilty. No trial means he is still innocent legally
@Taejonguy Also means it is far more likely that he is factually innocent than if there was enough evidence to bring him to trial but not enough to secure a conviction.
Legally, but I can still believe he’s a POS weirdo that likes to beat up the women he dates.
That’s legal too.
It’s called America!
At the time, they said it was rough sex that got out of hand. That may well be true.
Some people use strangulation as a sexual technique. I find it weird, kinky, and somewhat creepy,but apparently it turns some people on.
Wouldn’t be the first time someone who was not found to be in violation of the law was suspended by MLB. Rob Manfred’s world exists outside the law of man. While 2 years is ridiculously too much, it’s important to remember that “legally not guilty” isn’t the same thing as “not a bad person”.
torsky – in what report does it say that he was found to not be in violation of the law? There is no finding of guilt or innocence. He simply wasn’t charged. There are myriad reasons why that decision is made that have nothing to do with whether a suspect did it or not.
I suspect this suspension has a lot more to do with Bauer trying to undermine Manfred’s authority than it does with his ongoing legal issues. There is simply no precedent for a suspension of this magnitude for domestic violence, especially with the current amount of known evidence.
How has he tried to undermine Manfred’s authority?
Oh man, you want me to go all the way down the list? Calling out the league for doing nothing about sticky stuff, Manfred holding fans and the league hostage to enforce his desires for the shortened 2020 season with expanded playoffs, “pace of play” initiatives, marketing the game, CBA negotiations, #FreeJoeKelly and the lack of punishment for the Astros. Those are just the ones that come to mind immediately.
that’s probably part of it
That’s not undermining Manfred’s authority. That’s just pointing out what a fraud Manfred is.
There’s also some differences. The law requires a certain level of proof. The police may very well have thought Bauer was guilty but couldn’t prove it in a court or maybe Bauer came to a settlement with the other side and they wouldn’t press charges. MLB requires their players and personnel to meet a higher standard. I think he’s also being punished for standing out and being outspoken. MLB and much of society doesn’t like that and will pound you back down.
0% chance there was a settlement as he is now suing the other party for defamation.
@Paul Griggs Nothing in Bauer’s personality or anything he has said or done indicates that he would even think of settling with anybody.
Geez dude, it was also over sexual assault which is extremely hard to provide evidence for unless it’s just after the attack.
Did you miss the whole “times up” and “me too” movements?
Defending this POS is not the hill to die on buddy
It will be interesting if he pursues that case to the point where they enter discovery. Remember, she doesn’t have to prove anything. In a defamation lawsuit, 100% of the burden of proof is on him and he admitted both publicly and in a court of law that he did the things she claimed. His defense was that it was consensual. He can’t win a defamation case on those grounds.
Defamation is a civil case, not a criminal one. That means 51% of the burden of proof is on him.
Not guilty simply means there was not enough evidence to prosecute. MLB doesn’t have to be constrained by rules of evidence. for instance they can listen to hearsay. Major League baseball has always stated that this policy would be adjudicated apart from any legal process or no legal process.
advplee – “Not guilty simply means there was not enough evidence to prosecute.”
That is absolutely false.
I think you had sex with the neighbours dog. Just because there isn’t enough evidence for me to prove it, does that mean that you actually did it? What if my buddy says he saw you do it too? Now there are two accusers, so you must have done it, right?
Or do you want to take that innocent until proven guilty option now, you filthy zoophile?
Ukpadre
Not a good comparison.
A better comparison would be if a guy admitted that he had sex with the dog, but the guy said it was the dog’s idea. Then two more dog’s said the guy had sex with them. then the guy said the dogs all asked him to do it, The guy says that am the victim, so I am going to sue the dogs.
The owners have to suspend him or the fan-base will go to the dogs.
He wasn’t found “not guilty,” the Los Angeles County D.A.’s office didn’t have a strong enough case they felt would prevail if it went to court. They don’t file anything charges in Los Angeles anymore and drop most crimes, look at all the crime that’s going on, nobody is held accountable.
A guy like Bauer in this situation is the exact kind of singular case that Gascon would choose to prosecute if he could though.
Don’t forget that in this country, you are innocent until proven guilty. He wasn’t found not guilty but he was never even considered guilty under the law.
Ok sure, but also don’t forget that in this country we can also believe that he’s guilty as hell and just got out of it because of his circumstances…
You are missing the “fact”, that no crime was committed. There isn’t anything more to the case.
Sure there is, there are plenty of bases to suspend a player that do not require a criminal act let alone a criminal conviction.
In terms of the criminal case, you are correct. In terms of MLB, you are absolutely wrong.
Both publicly and in the hearing for the ex parte retraining order, Bauer admitted to doing what she claimed. When he said that it was consensual and produced texts that showed she wanted it “rough”, that was enough to make it a he said/she said case in terms of criminal culpability. Typically, an unwinnable case for a DA, so they chose not to take it to court.
For MLB, his admission of a violent sexual act was enough to suspend him. The length of the suspension probably has a lot to do with there being multiple instances with 3 different women and his total lack of contrition.
He’s a problem child for baseball. Or baseball’s investigators found more than the government. Wouldn’t surprise me that MLB has better investigators than our government.
With Manfred in charge? That seems highly doubtful.
Actually WASN’T found not guilty, they declined not to press charges
Which means the idea that he is factually innocent is probably closer to the truth than it would be if he was found “not guilty.” The burden of proof is lower to bring him to trial than it is to convict him.
Wrong. It means that the DA didn’t feel he had enough evidence to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Bauer was guilty. In no way does that prove his innocence. No DA is going to bring a case to trial unless they are as close to 100% sure as they can be that they will get a conviction.
Doesn’t prove his innocence but does make it more likely than if he was brought to trial and acquitted.
There are lots of things you can do that will get you fired from your job without getting you prosecuted for a crime, and you won’t get your job back just because authorities decline to press charges, particularly if you’re in a public-facing job where the company’s brand is affected by the opinion customers hold of you. I have no strong opinion on Bauer’s case, I haven’t investigated it, but there’s no reason MLB should be different than every other job in that regard. If they think he tarnishes their image, that’s their prerogative.
This is not true in all states. Some states are not “at-will” states and have protections for employees against scenarios such as arrest but no conviction.
In this case, its a collectively bargained policy that players have agreed to. Bauer and his agent admitted he violated that policy.
@smuzqwpdmx
I get what you are saying in principal, but the relationship between Bauer and MLB is governed by a collectively bargained agreement, which is different than most other jobs. MLB doesn’t not have the absolute prerogative to take whatever employment actions it deems best but can only act in accordance with the CBA.
@Oddvark The CBA explicitly allows this suspension through the process that was followed with no need for proof, though. And he also has the right to appeal, but appeals on these things never really overturn a suspension, they only shorten it a bit.
The CBA probably should’ve set out some sentencing length guidelines, but it didn’t.
He is the first player to appeal this rule, all other players agreed to not appeal in return for reduced suspensions.
He isn’t being fired from his job though, he’s been suspended from his job. And his job comes with a union. Generally speaking, it’s in the interest of a union to secure fair and consistent disciplinary actions for its members right? I’m not sure I see anyone on here arguing that mlb suspending him is wrong, it’s the severity compared to other instances of the policy that is raising some flags. It’s not in the best interest of the union for its members to have no transparency regarding actions and penalties they might be subject to under the terms of their contracts
Bauer wasn’t charged which is not the same as being found not guilty in a court of law.
Considering he admitted to the actions, but claimed it was consensual, it is 100% certain that he broke the rules of MLB and that is all that matters in his suspension from the game.
324 games was far less of a penalty than the maximum that Manfred could have given. If he had shown contrition and a willingness to change his behavior instead of lashing out at MLB and everyone involved, he might have received a lesser sentence.
Good.
BUT I THOUGHT THE FREE SPEECH POLICE BANNED BAUER COMMENTS!!!
shhhh.
Apparently, you THOUGHT wrong.
Well not completely. This has been a closed comments thread for 6 to 10 articles on this exact subject, so…
Tim said below that he decided to leave the comments open because, let’s be honest, this is big news. It’s naive to expect commenters to accept just not talking about it and with all the other Bauer related news, commenters just bring it up on other threads and he decided he’d rather contain the Bauer-related discussion to this thread. He also said he’s trusting the commenters to behave themselves.
Tim made the obvious point that posters were otherwise going to find an article about Kris Bryant’s injury or Mark Melancon’s positive COVID test and post about Bauer. Bauer’s suspension will be the subject of conversations for many years to come.
Why don’t you support free speech?
Anyone with any confusion on this topic should read the f’n bill of rights so they finally know what they’re talking about.
The government can’t legally limit your speech, but businesses/employers can legally and may treat you differently based on your speech.
Not entirely. It’s called “viewpoint discrimination.”
After such a long investigation and severe suspension, MLB didn’t go out on that limb for no reason. They didn’t risk liability on a whim. Where there’s smoke…
And that’s a perfect example of why most people should not be allowed to comment. For every example of a where’s there’s smoke there’s fire incident, I can provide at least three examples where somebody was blowing smoke out their rear end and the rumor was complete nonsense.. I wouldn’t trust anything that hasn’t been properly vetted by the police and the justice system. The media doesn’t often verify anything any more before publishing so I take “news” reports with a grain of salt.
No one’s forcing you to read, let alone trust the comments you find here dude
Not to mention that at worst this guy can’t play baseball anymore and has to find a way to live off of the tens of millions of dollars he has made…poor guy!
Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy.
@outinleftfield You hit the nail on the head. The only thing that matters here is that rule or policy and Bauer admitted he broke that rule.
Nothing else that is said matters beyond that simple fact.
What liability?
What’s his defense? She wanted to be hit, strangled, and “penetrated”?
I have difficulty rooting for PED users and cheats. How on earth can anyone root for this guy when he’s pitching for their favorite team.?
What do we as fans know actually happened? I don’t.
MLB has decided through its investigation that unprecedented and serious offenses occurred worthy of a two year suspension. The LA District Attorney decided these was not enough evidence to proceed. Bauer has claimed no DV incident occurred.
He beat a woman, strangled a woman into unconsciousness, and while unconscious had sex with her as if she were a prison inmate.
His defense is that it was consensual. They didn’t press charges because there is evidence she was into that.
But seriously? You want to root for someone that twisted?
You make a huge leap because that’s what you want to believe. I’d agree with you if I knew that’s what happened. You don’t know what happened–you just think you did. People of both sexes lie all the time.
I’m not making a huge leap.
The physical evidence is overwhelming.
the consensual nature of the relationship is not however. And that seems to be why it did not go to court
Paul… You are making the huge leap.
What’s my very first sentence? I’ll repeat it”
What’s his defense? She wanted to be hit, strangled, and “penetrated”?
And then what did I write after that?
“His defense is that it was consensual. They didn’t press charges because there is evidence she was into that.”
@Halo, no, I don’t want to root for him and I don’t. Never was a fan of his actions prior to this outrageous ones. I simply asked a question around stating what I knew. Making inflammatory accusations is what often leads to threads being shut down. Please don’t contribute to that.
These are not really accusations. The physical evidence is overwhelming.
The only thing debatable is if she lost consciousness. She was beaten, strangled and sodimized.
Did Bauer think that’s what she wanted? Beats me. There is evidence to support that’s exactly what Bauer thought.
@Halo11Fan
If you are really interested in his defense, read the complaint in his recent lawsuit against the accuser. He lays out in detail his version of the events, which contradicts the version of the “facts” that you believe.
I don’t know what really happened, but I am pretty sure it’s not as clear cut as you are claiming.
Wow, well I hope no woman you care about ever has anything like this happen to her…but then maybe you’d be a little more conscious and understanding.
Stop acting like they’re coming after you, you are not Bauer and shouldn’t be defending him like you are.
How does anyone hear the events of this case and feel bad for the aggressor!? WTF?
Do you know what every MLB player does in the privacy of his bedroom? Why would your cheer for any of them?
Paul;
Bauer is on record admitting to those facts. He was not charged because there is substantial evidence that the woman encouraged him to do those things. Nobody doubts that they were actually done. Even the cynics who believe that this was a setup for a lawsuit agree that Bauer went along on this disgusting magic carpet ride and Bauer has utterly failed to apologize to his teammates and fans for harming the sport.
As has been said a couple times on here, Bauer and his agent both admitted that he committed violent sexual acts. His defense was that they were consensual, but that does not change the fact that the very act itself is against the rules. It does not matter if it was consensual or not.
If it was a one time situation, the penalty may have been different. If Bauer was contrite and willing to accept a suspension that MLB undoubtedly discussed with him and his agent prior to handing it down, it might have been different.
But Bauer is taking a scorched earth approach to this and that will end his MLB career. Not sad to see him go.
You can’t root for the guy. But unfortunately, that’s not the point here.
It’s not what point. It’s my point.
I like rooting for players. If you want a player on your team that scum and you want to root for him, that’s on you.
Halo half the hall of fame would not fit your criteria.
Taejonguy.
I really hope not. But that kind of response has always been a lame response. When I find out a human being is not worth rooting for, I root for him to fail.
I have no idea how people root for cheaters. I understand why Astro fans root for the Astros, but if I was choosing a team to root for, it wouldn’t be the Astros. If you are born into it… what can you do?
Ok maybe it is your point, but I think most people on here are questioning the actual punishment handed down. I 100% agree with you I wouldn’t want him on the team I root for, but at the same time one of my best friends is a chiefs fan and he was bummed when they traded tyreek hill this off-season. I think most can agree that guy is a similar piece of trash to bauer. So obviously some people don’t have an issue rooting for these people. But I guess my point was that, manfred isn’t taking into consideration whether or not the dodger fans can still root for the guy when they are deciding to impose a suspension that clears the remainder of his two year contract in an unprecedented punishment under their domestic violence policy
Chipsssl, I don’t find that as interesting.
What I find interesting is how easily people will sell their souls to support someone who isn’t worth supporting.
I find what’s going to happen when the suspension is over much more interesting than the suspension.
Bauer literally has the emails where at least one of those ladies were begging him to do so. Multiple emails in fact telling him exactly what she wanted.
That doesn’t matter. He admitted he committed the violent acts both publicly and in court in the restraining order hearings. His own texts and emails confirm that. He knowingly broke the rules of baseball and is unrepentant about it.
You’ve actually described a non-significant portion of the population’s consensual sexual interaction desires, nothing you listed is out of the realm of what some people consider normal. None of those things are uncommon practice.
Whoa! What!?
Stay away from this guy ladies!
It is estimated that around 2% of the sexually active population employs masochism, that’s a simple Google search. I know nothing about the practice myself because it’s not my cup of tea, but people everywhere do this type of stuff.
No one wants to root for him, no one likes him. But there is a huge difference between rooting for him and handing the appropriate punishment against him. If the legal system says there’s not enough evidence to prosecute him, who are you to decide what’s right and wrong? Were you there when the crime was committed?
A two year suspension has no precedence in MLB. It’s really been around 80 games for most cases and prob max a year. I can assure you that the majority people here think the same — he might’ve committed the crime but we don’t have enough information to determine what’s concrete and what’s not. Given the situation, a two year ban makes no sense.
SadRedFan.
OK. My point is who would root for this P.O.S?
That may not be your point, but it’s mine. I don’t think I have made any comments regarding the amount of time he’s being suspended.
I have no idea how people root for PED users. I never have them on my fantasy baseball teams. I don’t want to root for them. I’m thrilled this P.O.S. is not on my favorite baseball team, yet someone in my fantasy league drafted him.
People like winning, and that’s more important to them than anything else.
This isn’t about whether or not anyone would root for Bauer. Nor is it about whether winning baseball games is more important than all the guys on your team being good people off the field.
Are you telling me what my opinion is about?
Seriously? Full of yourself much?
Comment sections are about what the person writing them wants them to be about. Things can have multiple layers.
I’m not rooting for the guy!!!! I hope my favorite team doesn’t bring in people I can’t root for. But fans often forget players are P.O.S and root for them all the time.
Kobe Bryant for example.
Since there are 26 players on your favorite team, and there is a good chance one of them is not worth rooting for, it’s one of the great conflicts of sports.
What I’m saying is that your comments are about as relevant as if I were to come on here and start talking about UFO’s. Or train schedules.
You are full of yourself. They are very relevant comments. I think they are the most relevant comments.
Both Clintons and Trump are low lives, but millions will excuse, rationalize and dismiss bad behavior for selfish reasons.
It’s the only thing about this that is interesting to me and such attitudes affect billions of people’s lives.
You put Bauer back on a team in two years, and fans of that team will root for him.
It’s why players can get away with cheating.
@Halo- I can’t bring myself to root for Bauer… but I do root for sane justice. Think of John Adams when he defended the British after the Boston Massacre- justice must prevail. This is a harsh judgment on Bauer; Manfred’s scales would seem to be imbalanced. I suspect the suspension will be halved upon a successful appeal; justice will tell us.
Hey as a woman who practices kink and bdsm, I can say with confidence that there are women out there that consensually engage in activities like this, although preferably when it’s safe and negotiated beforehand. I have no idea what happened between them, but the suggestion that no woman wants this is just inaccurate. It’s possible she consented but they went about it irresponsibly and it went badly. There are lots of people out there jumping into kink ignorantly and impulsively.
Will anyone remember him in 2 years?
Nothing to keep him from joining Addison Russell in the Mexican League.
Very Solid point haha
Russell had an OPS of .704 in 5 seasons. That’s what sent him to the Mexican league.
And Roberto Osuna.
People will remember this controversy even a decade from now. I do not know how they will spin it in the future, but this will not drop from baseball’s history any more that the sign-stealing, spitballs or corked bats.
I’m surprised comments are open!
Two years from today seems strange given that he’s still denying it
didn’t you get the update? Free speech is cool now that Elon bought twitter. No comments from the censor police for their actions over the last 2 years though!
You need to read the bill of rights and review what free speech is…cuz it’s not that
hey cuz, I was not saying we deserve free speech because the bill of rights. I was saying we deserve free speech because we demand it as users of the site.
Might be confusing for your ABStract brain, but there is a difference.
They’ll close them soon. Someone probably forgot to click the off button.
Wow Dodgers catch a HUGE break!!!!!
Literally the only downfall to this I wish his contract would still count against them just cause f the Dodgers but dude is a whack job
Does this mean LAD is not on the hook for the remainder of his contract? If so what a Godsend from a financial standpoint as well as the fact they don’t have to figure out what they’re going to do with him.
Solaris- Yes, as of today …It might take years in court to figure it all out but the main takeway for LAD is that they will have 35 mill deducted from the 2023 payroll
2022 as well but that’s only monopoly money really as Dodgers have already blown by the CBT
IMO the Dodgers will duck the CBT next year even if they had to pay Bauer …This helps in SO So SO MANY ways …. and in a way it probably increases the likelihood of Tre staying next year
I don’t agree with the length of this suspension one bit but yea Dodgers catch a huge break today. I can see why the other 29 teams fan bases are a little irritated. This is a bailout of epic proportions
If the suspension is upheld LAD is off the hook for the remainder of his contract. We will see if it is upheld.
Bauer admitted to violating MLB policy. The suspension will be upheld.
Consensual or not, sadism and masochism are sick behaviors. Both Bauer and his partner should seek therapy.
Apparently so should a larger section of society than you’d like to think.
If the shoe fits.
Dan Rogers – Sounds like you’re leaning pretty hard on a bandwagon fallacy.
Keep your “morals” away from others.
Thank you,
The rest of society
It takes a special kind of presumption to elect oneself the representative of “the rest of society.”
If you need to choke and punch a woman to get it up, you’re effed-up. Full stop.
it takes a special kind of presumption to determine for society what are sick behaviours.
The rapists of the world, whose crimes — according to psychologists — are as much or more about violence than about sex — thank you for your understanding.
If a woman in your family is assaulted and raped, you can serve as a character witness for the perp if you wish.
According to psychologists, the crime of rape is as much or more about violence as it is about sex.
If a member of your family is a victim, feel free to serve as a character witness for the perp.
The censors are refusing to let me reply to you. Twice tried, twice blocked.
“it takes a special kind of presumption to determine for society what are sick behaviours”
Your British spelling of “behaviours” is noted. Are you Canadian?
But I digress.
According to your standard, the American Psychiatric Association is presumptuous and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is invalid.
Taejonguy – “it takes a special kind of presumption to determine for society what are sick behaviours”
Such a comment reeks of moral relativism, and heartily embraces subjective opinion while denying absolute objective truth. You must be a Progressive Liberal. You should get help for that unhealthy condition before it’s too late.
And Pink Floyd was a perverted band that sung drug induced music off key. You can’t regulate morality. The people who will break the rules will do so whether there’s a law or not so you’re only making it harder for the people trying to do the right thing.
Reread my screen name, attentively.
The rest of your comment, particularly the last remark — “you’re only making it harder for the people trying to do the right thing” — makes no discernible sense.
Whoa dude WTF?
Your comments are getting weirder
I remember Yankees fans making a big push for Cashman to get Bauer. So glad they didn’t step in that big pile of pooh.
But I suspect that not all fantasy kink is true S&M. Some people likely pretend it as a form of foreplay. They don’t really want to be knocked unconscious and hit or penetrated when they are unconscious.
Wow. That’s waaaay too long. (That’s what she said). But seriously. Who gives him a chance is the next question, because he won’t pitch for LAD again…..I hope someone gives him another chance personally. Dude got railroaded here.
Yeah he’s a victim. Eyeroll. Give us a break.
How is what he did different than Ozuna, German or Herrera?
Punish them all if you want, but to the same standard. MLB doesn’t like Bauer, because he is outspoken.
Ironically, this will line up with the end of his Dodgers contract. The Dodgers are one of the wealthiest teams in the sport. Manfred works for the owners. It’s almost like there was collusion there.
It can’t be proven, but it sure looks like the Dodgers and Rob Manfred came up with this punishment/solution.
@downsr30
One difference in this case as compared to a lot of the other domestic violence cases, is that in several of those other cases the victim and the player were still together, so that any punishment affecting the livelihood of the player would also “punish” the victim. That is not the case in Bauer’s situation.
I don’t think that difference is enough on its own to justify the vast difference in punishment, but it could be something to consider.
Another difference is that Bauer’s case involves allegations of sexual violence, while most of the others did not. It could be that MLB believes harsher penalties are warranted in cases of sexual violence.
Thank you for bringing those two thoughts up. I call horseshit on the first and the on the second well…I guess I agree in a way, but then we still butt up against the consensual/non-consensual consideration with this. If it were a guy drugging a girl at a bar, is that different than what was at least at the beginning a consensual meetup that turned violent. Does mlb really consider that worse that striking or choking a women in anger on camera? It’s sad that anyone has to weigh these scenarios out at all to determine what is less severe.
Ozuna was charged with a misdemeanor after the police were shown to have lied about him choking his wife. He entered a pretrial diversion program, then a program that included psychiatric care and anger management classes, completed 200 hours of community service, apologized to his wife and teammates, and committed to staying away from his wife. After that he was suspended 20 games by MLB. Has Bauer showed any remorse like Ozuna did? Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy so the penalty handed down by Manfred was completely within his purview and is actually lenient. It could have been much, much longer.
I’m not screaming for him to be treated as a victim. He chose to engage in this behavior, and everything has a consequence. If you wanna engage in rough sex with gold digging gutter trash, there are repercussions. I just think this whole thing has dragged on too long, and 1 year would have been sufficient. The guy STILL has to actually find an employer here. That list won’t be terribly long. Just my opinion.
These are Bauer’s career earnings according to Spotrac: $109,877,314
I think he’ll be able to survive without our starting a GoFundMe page for him.
Clearly, this isn’t about money. You’re missing the point, but knock yourself out with the Google searches Fink.
I don’t have to Google Spotrac. It’s a regular source for me.
Perhaps I misunderstood. I thought you were lamenting Bauer’s need “to actually find an employer here.” If it’s not about money, there are other leagues where he can pitch competitively if no MLB team will sign him.
Nothing compares to the MLB in baseball though. He can go play in Korea or Japan but that’s usually for borderline MLB players or older stars, not someone who won the Cy Young in 2020.
There will probably be calls to strip that cy young. Which in this current climate might succeed. That would be another mistake though, since ped users haven’t had their awards taken away
That’s true, SadRedsFan.
I doubt that very much, Chipsss. There are plenty of members of the Hall of Fame whose behavior was later discovered to be reprehensible, but they’re still in the Hall.
Chim:
No one will take your comments about domestic violence seriously when you start them with a joke about physical anatomy.
Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. Far from being railroaded, he was dealt with leniently because MLB just wants this to go away. If he pushes it further or if other accusations come to ight, then he may see the penalty increased.
Honest question. Would any team sign him at this point? He has talent, but from all that I’ve read he isn’t exactly loved in the clubhouse.
Bauer is no one’s darling – never has been. CLE & CIN thanking God this didn’t break on their watch.
probably , winning is a priority with some clubs I’d guess. Could be wrong .
Zero chance he gets signed. His career is over, which is why I could ee an eventual legal challenge, unless somehow that’s not allowed. MLB is a private business and the players contracts and this DV policy exists under the jointly agreed CBA. He can challenge this decision before an arbitration panel, but I’m not sure what he can do beyond that.
Dodger Blue hates him? Does he get hitters out? Sounds like a potentially ideal Giant and/or Padre. Just saying, somebody will give a talented arm a chance. Last year people were saying Ozuna would never play again and here we are…
No. At this point, after he publicly admitted to the behavior, no team will touch him. Also he has threatened to “spill blood” if he was suspended. In other words, come out with accusations of rule breaking by other players. His playing days are over.
I see you espousing your opinion up and down this page, Lefty… but I’ll just retort with a friendly wager. One handshake gentleman’s bet says Bauer plays MLB again. Deal?
He admitted to consensual rough sex with his accuser. He denied doing anything without her consent. You’re free to dispute that, but he did not admit to violating MLB’s DV policy. Unless you think consensual rough sex in and of itself is a violation. If so, does this mean MLB has arbitrary power when it comes to punishing sexual acts?
I told everyone he would get suspended and the Dodgers would be let off the hook for his salary. The Dodgers are too important for inflating baseball payrolls to be stuck with Bauer’s salary. They will promptly spend the money elsewhere and both the union and team are satisfied with this decision
Seems kind of odd it ALL lined up perfectly for LAD doesn’t it……. Little too perfect if we are being honest (Im a LAD fan btw)
What everyone seems to forget is that the Dodgers paid a big penalty already…if Bauer is playing for them last year, they easily have the division wrapped up before the last weekend of the regular season. Therefore, Muncy doesn’t get hurt in the last game of the regular season and the Dodgers have both Bauer and Muncy playing in the postseason…in that scenario, the Dodgers win the 2021 NLCS and WS, not the Braves.
Obviously, these aren’t facts, but I think the majority would agree with my statement, if they are being objective.
That’s a few too many if’s, buts, and coconuts for me Bleeding
I’m sure SF could counter with many of there own but it’s all trivial
SF Giants 2021 NL West champs forever is all I will remember….and ofc snapping our 8 year streak ;(
Yeah, maybe.
Fair enough…and all I remember is the Giants watching the NLCS on television…but that wasn’t really my point.
If the Dodgers had Bauer, they would not have traded both Ruiz and Gray to the Nats. Then they would not have watched Scherzer “tap out’ during the playoffs.
The Atlanta ball club has taken Marcell Ozuna back and no one is boycotting their games because of that.
So yes, maybe the suspension is longer because Bauer keeps running his mouth and that harms the business of baseball. But as the number of woman making allegations about Bauer increases, we can see that he failed to get his PR team in front of the ball. If he had made full disclosure at the beginning and begged forgiveness for bad judgment but consensual activities and showed true humility and regret, his would have received a suspension of at least a year, but certainly less than two years. Bauer is harming the owners and the fans.
That’s the key to everything with Bauer. He’s incapable of showing humility.
Instead, he very publicly tries to show the world that he’s right and everyone else is wrong.
He was suspended for 324 days going forward. The Dodgers still paid his salary from July 21st 2021 until the day the suspension was handed down.
So Marcell Ozuna gets 20 games when he is actually charged with something (although the charges were ultimately dropped) but Bauer gets 324 games without being charged, or even arrested? How does that work?
Private company and investigation. Public court doesn’t control the outcome.
Real question is what did bauer refuse to pay to settle this? 100k 200k?
It’s taking a principled stand I guess. Sure it would have cost him less to pay off L. H. than it will take him to fight this. But when you have that kind of money, would you rather pay someone trying to extort you, or people trying to defend you?
See and that there is a catch 22. Pay her off with a couple of hundred grand and then the next one comes seeking a couple of million, and then the next one after that, and the next one after that.
This is not dissimilar to what Deshaun Watson will eventually be facing in Cleveland. Sure the courts said they won’t proceed with charges and ultimately it would seem the women’s “profession” of choice probably worked against many of them but even with no criminal charges these women are expecting money and it’s only a matter of time til the civil suits start.
There is a reason you don’t negotiate with terrorists
It is not a “principled stand”. It is a lack of emotional intelligence.
Was also a private company and investigation that public court doesn’t control the outcome of in Ozuna’s case and he only got 20 games.
Ozuna entered a pretrial diversion program, then a program that included psychiatric care and anger management classes, completed 200 hours of community service, agreed to stay away from his wife and did all that before Manfred gave him a 20 game suspension. The only charge that was against him prior to that was a misdemeanor assault. MLB doesn’t have to have charges filed against a player to suspend them, they have suspended many players without any charges being filed, and Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. That was all Manfred needed. That is how it works.
Was all he needed for those other players who were suspended too and the previous longest suspension for this sort of thing was half of what Bauer got.
I’m impressed the comments weren’t closed on this. Either someone is slipping or they’re finally respecting us enough to to treat us as responsible adults
I’ll be more impressed if the comments are worth reading.
So far…. Not bad.
How long can that last?
I really don’t understand the closing of the comments for all things Bauer, but letting the Covid warriors have free reign on those articles. I know the company line is “that’s what people wanted”, but cmon. Those articles comments get so out of hand, and they delete whatever they want. It’s 2022. Social media has made it so everyone has a voice. You’re probably not going to like most of those voices, but the option to ignore stupid people has been around for eternity. Still a great way to operate. No need to suppress. Just keep scrolling.
“You’re probably not going to like most of those voices, but the option to ignore stupid people has been around for eternity. Still a great way to operate. No need to suppress. Just keep scrolling.”
This makes sense to me.
That said, private enterprises like this website rely on advertising for revenue, and advertisers don’t want to be associated with certain kinds of behavior and opinions that might reflect badly on their brand. If a privately owned site chooses to moderate comments with that motive, that’s their right. And if visitors to a moderated site find that intolerable, it’s their right to stop visiting that site and take their attention elsewhere.
Right I said that in the survey I didn’t like comments are close sometimes.I need to know more and at times I learn more from the comments then the original post.
They are allowing comments here so that they do not carry over to other threads as they have in the past.
Bauer is such a dbag. Byeeeee
Bauer is a sick individual who in my opinion should be banned for life. Hopefully he will take the next two years to get the deep psychological help he needs to understand his deviant behavior and fix his mental health issues.
she asked him to do it and there is enough evidence that he was not charged. What punishment does she face for her “deviant behaviour”?
He’s not talking about her, he’s talking about Bauer and what HE did. Two wrongs don’t make a right, most children know this.
What’s it like to be a know-it-all condescending dooshbag?
Lots of athletes suffer from mental illness, no reason to ban them.
Bauer is being banned for making the game less marketable, for likely not being truthful to the Dodgers when the contract was signed about possible baggage and to MLB about other possible accusers during the initial stages of the investigation.
Bauer needs to apologize better to teammates and fans. He should say that if my sentence is reduced, I will donate a million to WEAVE and that he promises to use better judgment in the future.
I hope this sets a precedent in MLB. Domestic violence cases seem to be taken too lightly by MLB. Heck, some guys are suspended longer for taking foreign substances.
That said, if this is setting a precedent, then further cases better be dealt with in a consistent manner. If another player gets arrested for making his girlfriend/wife look like she just went up against Mike Tyson, there needs to be a full-season suspension, at the very least.
We all know that won’t happen.
This is crazy. 2 years, i hope he appeals (if allowed) and sues MLB for their stupidity.
I’m guessing it was two years so when he appeals they can compromise on 1 year.
He was a POS even before all this.
He will lose any appeal. Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. That policy doesn’t distinguish between consensual and nonconsensual violent acts. He is probably not stupid enough to sue and open himself to discovery in a lawsuit against MLB. Can you imagine all the things that would come up in all his texts, emails, and DMs over the past 10 years?
It may have been different had he not been such an arrogant a- hole during his career. He gets no benefit of the doubt. But we live in a different world today.
Absolutely insane. Dude was found innocent, who is mlb to play judge more than actual judges. On top of that he’s already been on paid leave for a full season and then some. Ruining his future earning potential. I know he can be a jerk, but that doesn’t change his innocence
He was never found innocent. Lol
He wasn’t found guilty….innocent til proven guilty.
Yeah. The DA threw out the case before he even had the chance to. The legal threshold for him doing that is lower than the legal threshold for convicting him. Not higher.
wowww – what judge found him innocent? He was never charged.
Judges don’t determine guilt or innocence.
They do unless you choose trial by jury…awkward
He was never charged…hence innocent. Plus there’s texts showing she wanted it. It was a setup and I say that as a cubs fan who dislike Bauer on a personal level. But this suspension is wrong and if you don’t think so then you’re what’s wrong with this offended by everything mommy didn’t hug me enough world
He wasn’t “found innocent,” charges weren’t filed. There’s a difference.
gbs42… yep he was always innocent. at least until he is found guilty by a court- that is the way it works
Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. MLB doesn’t need for him to be charged with a crime or found guilty in a court to suspend him. The bottom line is that he admitted breaking the rules of the game. That is all Manfred needs to suspend him.
So is MLB saying it’s ok to beat your wife and receive a 20 game suspension but if you wanna have rough sex and be cleared of all charges of sexual abuse and are an innocent person you’re still a bad image on MLB and receive a 2 year suspension? Did I get that right? pretty sure Manfred is only doing this because of how outspoken Bauer is.
dortega88, you got that right. Especially if you’re critical of how Manfred does things.
Ozuna entered a pretrial diversion program, entered a program that included psychiatric care and anger management classes, completed 200 hours of community service, and apologized to his wife and his teammates, and agreed to stay away from his wife all before MLB gave him a 20 game suspension. Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy and afterwards he has shown no remorse. His only defense has been “but, but, but it was consensual” even though consent is not a distinction made in the MLB policy. Innocence is not proven by a lack of charges being filed. All that means is that there was not enough evidence in a he said/She said case that the DA felt that they could prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that a person committed a crime.
I know he does not get paid during that time but does his contract “pause” and it starts again when he is reinstated or does the contract expire on the date it is supposed to expire regardless of the suspension?
Nope. He forfeits his pay for all of the days he spends on the restricted list unless his appeal is successful.
Vick was suspended by the NFL less than 2 years. He went to prison. Bauer is not even charged.
And Vick was then given a second chance and played 7 more seasons with 3 different teams. Bauer will not get that luxury unless it’s in the NPB, the KBO, or Mexico
Very true!!
NFL policy requires criminal charges be filed to suspend a player. MLB does not. Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. Manfred doesn’t need anything else to suspend Bauer.
Bauer is toxic for mlb. They can get an easy PR win with this or at worst avoid a PR loss. It’s doubtful any team was signing him anyway.
There is no PR win to be had. They could have suspended him for this season. Let the Dodgers pay his buyout next winter and let Trevor sail off into the sunset. By going this route they have given him a platform and excuse to come after MLB and start spilling blood (as he has said he would). There is no win in this for MLB just more dirty laundry waiting to be aired
Lmao. Who the eff is Bauer? What’s he gonna spill that is going to damage mlb any more than they are? He’s a blowhard, nothing more
Everyone thought that about Canseco too and then he started ratting out Everyone who ever juiced. These players spend more time together than they do with their families, who knows the things they know about eachother
Do you really think a lot of men like beating, strangling and sodimzing unconscious woman?
I really hope the percentage are microscopic. Is it too judgmental in today’s society to say that’s sick?
He’s the guy that is actually going to name names instead of just saying most of the league was cheating.
Even though Jose Canseco was himself a cheater and not too bright a guy, he was still a heroic whistle-blower who helped change that path of MLB and generations of young players to come. I don’t care if Canseco was motivated by a need for money because he frittered away other earnings, Canseco still did more for the game than most.
If he starts “spilling blood” as he has threatened to do, MLB will have cause to go after him for other violations of MLB rules that could result in a longer suspension. The minimum penalty for foreign substances on a baseball is 10 games per occurrence and up to a permanent ban from the game. Do you really think that if he opens his mouth to implicate other players even once that other players are not going to bury him with evidence MLB can use to suspend him even longer? His only chance of ever pitching in MLB again is public contrition and an acceptance of the current suspension.
having sexual fetishes and being one very sick puppy ( in my opinion).. doesn’t equate to sexual assault or domestic violence.. it is sadomasochism between consenting adults according to the findings… Being different shouldn’t be a punishment..
fully agree with this
Nope! Ban him! Get him outta here !
It doesn’t matter if it was consensual or not, it violated MLB policy. That is the issue here. He is not in a court of law, so anything about consent is irrelevant. Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violated MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy.
If they are doing this for engaging in consensual sexual behavior then they could be in violation of Title VII protections. MLB is going to have to share the evidence they have gathered and if it is lacking then they are going to be stuck with a huge bill, private company or not.
I don’t see how this 2 season ban is upheld. It’s going to be reduced by half or more.
Good forget this loser!
And it’s open for comments! This ought to be good. LOL!!!
As you can see, on this post I made an exception to our typical policy of closing comments on domestic violence posts.
The news is simply too significant to disallow comments. The result, which we’ve seen in the past with a domestic violence story of this magnitude, is that our readers will just have discussions about this topic in other, unrelated posts.
By keeping comments open here, the aim is to contain the Bauer discussion in one place. By nature, it’s a sensitive topic, and people who don’t want to view that discussion should not enter the comment section on this post.
We have a mute button you can use, and our commenting policy still applies:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/07/mlb-trade-rumors-commenting-policy.html
Thanks Tim. Good decision.
Good call.
I appreciate the decision and I hope that at least most of us can behave.
Dad said you can use it if you are nice. But remember buy a subscription and support the site! You make this site happen with your dollars and views, but you cannot be trusted to talk about trevor bauer, without an exception!
Tim has been a hypocrite on this issue since it started. Trying to save face is just sad. “JUST THIS ONE TIME THOUGH”
This is an awesome site, the only time that I was irked that comments were closed was after the video of Larry Baer.
Tim, this was the correct decision and it’s one I hope you follow on other sensitive subjects. Yes, there will be bad comments. We’re adults. We can handle them or ignore them. Thanks again.
The mute button is a godsend. Thanks.
BTW, @Fink Ployd is killing it. Thanks for enlightening these people.
Good decision that so far has been handled pretty well.
Please some of you, go back and study our legal system and learn the difference between being found not guilty (innocent) and not being charged. Two totally different things.
Not being charged mean there was not enough evidence or the person involved didn’t want to go further with their complaint, but whatever reason he is innocent until proven guilty!
Jake – The legal concept of “innocent until proven guilty” is totally different than a finding of not guilty, as many posters are saying happened. They are two completely different things.
You are in other responses acting like the guy is guilty of something, so let be clear you have judged him and convicted him while the actual DA refused to further the case against him!
You are writing about something that is clearly your personal opinion based on a dislike of the guy while I am making it clear the guy is a total waste in my eyes but the DA didn’t feel he was going to be found guilty of a crime!
So as long as he was not going to be brought to court and convicted the man is innocent in the law eyes!
Your public opinion does not count and MLB is wrong in this suspension because they never did this against another player!
Should he face a suspension?
Yes, but at this length?
No!
Also if you have information about what happened between him and that woman or other woman and haven’t turned this information in then you are as much of a problem but I know for sure you don’t and just want to scream “ Bauer isn’t innocent in my eyes “ which is fine but that is your opinion based on what you read through the media while never seeing the hardcore evidence the DA reviewed and felt was not worth taking to a jury for a conviction!
So he is innocent until proven guilty!
Jake – “You are in other responses acting like the guy is guilty of something”.
Where???
Read my comments again. I have no opinion about Bauer. I do, however, want to point out that there is a difference between the legal concept of “innocent until proven guilty” and a legal finding (by a jury or a judge) of not guilty. They are two totally different things. Many people on here have said he was found to be innocent, which he has not.
Again, I have no opinion either way. Just trying to clarify through the misinformation regarding legal concepts.
The fact that there wasn’t enough evidence to charge him at all indicates that the idea that “Bauer is innocent” is closer to the truth than it would be if there was enough evidence to charge him but not enough to convict him.
Not at all jim. One has nothing to do with the other. Like I said before, there are a number of reasons why a DA doesn’t charge a case including but not limited to: problematic witness, reluctant victims, etc. That happens all the time even when there is little doubt the subject committed the crime. The old saying “it’s not what you know, it’s what you can prove” is always a consideration.
One has everything to do with the other! The burden of proof is lower to bring the guy to trial, to let the jury have their say, than it is to convict him.
Right Jim. The threshold for charging a case is “probable cause”. The threshold at trial is “beyond a reasonable doubt”. If the DA doesn’t feel he has enough to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, he won’t charge it regardless of the evidence showing probable cause.
The DA’s statement reiterates what I’ve been saying:
“After a thorough review of the available evidence, including the civil restraining order proceedings, witness statements and the physical evidence, the People are unable to prove the relevant charges beyond a reasonable doubt.”
@prov356 Exactly! There wasn’t even probable cause. Some people on this thread are taking the fact that he wasn’t charged as evidence that something still COULD have happened. The fact that the DA didn’t feel there was probable cause means it is less likely something happened than if he was charged but found not guilty.
jim – nowhere in his statement does it say there was no probable cause.
@prov356 The fact that Bauer wasn’t charged sure does.
jim – no it doesn’t. I refer back to the concept of “it’s not what you know, it’s what you can prove”. Probable cause is a lower standard than beyond a reasonable doubt. Many case for which there is PC go uncharged because the DA does not believe they can meet the higher threshold of beyond a reasonable doubt at trial, for various reasons as I’ve stated before.
@prov356 Sure it does. Wouldn’t you agree that the DA conceding that they can’t “meet the higher threshold of beyond a reasonable doubt at trial,” to use your own words, mean it is more likely that Bauer is factually innocent than it would be if the DA wasn’t willing to concede to that?
Absolutely not Jim. As I have stated now several times, there are many reasons why a DA may choose to decline prosecution of a case. Again, for example, there are DV cases where the evidence is overwhelming but the victim is a horrible witness so it’s not worth the risk of a trial. BTW that’s an arbitrary example not at all related to the facts of the Bauer case.
@prov356 If they really did have overwhelming evidence it wouldn’t matter how good or bad of a witness the alleged victim is.
Once again, you need more evidence to get a conviction than to file charges. That charges were not filed means it is LESS likely that a crime was committed. Not more. Tons of people on this thread are saying “He wasn’t found not guilty! The DA decided not to file charges!” Those people are actually helping the case of the person they are attempting to refute.
It doesn’t indicate that at all. This is a he said/she said case in which both parties concede that violence occurred. There was no third-party witness to validate either of their conflicting claims of the degree to which the violence was consensual. Prosecutors had no other means of proving her claims in a court of law.
Yes it does indicate that! The fact that the DA declined to press charges ABSOLUTELY means the case is weaker than if he chose to press charges but the jury voted not guilty.
“While in lay usage the term ‘not guilty’ is often synonymous with ‘innocent,’ in American criminal jurisprudence they are not the same. ‘Not guilty’ is a legal finding by the jury that the prosecution has not met its burden of proof.”
https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/not-guilty-and-innocent-problem-children-reasonable-doubt
Agreed. I’m just mirroring the term that has been used here.
Innocent until proven guilty, isn’t that the legal principle?
Many comments seem to lean towards “not being charged” = he’s still guilty though! Wrong. He wasn’t charged because the DA didn’t have evidence to take to trial and prove guilt. If they did they would 100% be in trial.
To date: he is innocent of breaking laws.
Based on public details of the case, he (and his partners) are into S&M, BDSM etc. so yes he’s “guilty?” of that in the “court of public opinion”, but that’s not something that could be charged as a crime so he remains innocent.
IMO, what two consenting adults do in private is not my business.
I’m sure there are many other “Trevor Bauers” in the MLB or other sports, maybe your team has one or two as well.
“I’m sure there are many other “Trevor Bauers” in the MLB or other sports, maybe your team has one or two as well.”
And not one of them would get anythign approaching 2 years.
@5toolMVP…
“IMO, what two consenting adults do in private is not my business,”
I agree. However, consent was the issue wasn’t it?.
@A’s fan
Reportedly, there is some supporting sexting requesting rough sex, and explicit video sent from HER to HIM. Is that not consent in some form? It certainly suggests it was mutually discussed, possibly planned and maybe even agreed to on various dates and locations.
This wasn’t a one time thing between Bauer and any of the alleged victims. Many SMS convos, requests, many meetups over weeks, months, years. (2012-2015)
To me this is all mutual between Bauer and his partners. Extremely rough S&M, BDSM type shyt. They all got off in it and met repeatedly.
In this case, it doesn’t matter if there was consent. MLB policy doesn’t distinguish between consensual and nonconsensual violent sexual acts. Bauer admitted he performed violent sexual acts on multiple occasions with at least 2 women. That violates MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. Period.
This isn’t a legal issue. Its an MLB policy issue. Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy.
He is not innocent of breaking laws, because no court determines innocence. They determine if there is enough evidence beyond a shadow of doubt to convict a person of a crime.
@ prov356
Of course, even if he was brought to trial and was acquitted, he technically still wouldn’t have been found innocent. Assuming a jury trial, it would simply mean that some number of jurors (just one in some jurisdictions) were not convinced that the evidence presented at trial was sufficient to convince them beyond a reasonable doubt of his guilt. The jury would not need to have determined that he was factually innocent of the charges. Juries do not render “innocent” verdicts.
Correct Oddvark.
$40 million freed up for the Dodgers to sign Trea Turner, Juan Soto, or whoever big becomes a FA
Juan Soto is not going anywhere. He will be a National.
Powerball numbers please
9 6 7 89 45 2 3 68
He seems like a vindictive person – wonder if he’s going to start letting out league secrets. This is unreal.
He already did, that’s how he starting making enemies in baseball to begin with (Houston/Cole).
Lets be real, Bauer jumped on the band wagon. He claims to have broken the buzzer story, when it wasn’t ever proven. Should’ve been already suspended for creating that hoax.
If he ever wants to pitch again he should settle for a 1 year suspension then STFU and spend the year working out and appreciating the second chance he hopes to get. He’s too toxic for many organizations as is and the list will get longer if he runs his mouth for another year. If he serves a 1 year suspension he’ll be 33 before he pitches again and will be carrying a trainload of baggage.
I don’ t care if he pitches for free, I don’t want to see him on the team I root for and I bet I’m not alone on that.
I would be surprised if Bauer signs another MLB contract. Of course, sports have surprised me before and will again.
This guy’s career is over. Who wants to play with him? He gets his jollies from physically abusing women, consensual or not, pretty impossible to respect and work with such a crappy human.
And that girl got her jollies off through pain as well, at least the extent of the consent to physical contact could be debated(he said she said) unlike guys that beat women, get a lighter suspension and go back into a locker room with no problems. Different strokes for different folks.
That only applies in a criminal court of law, not in MLB policy. Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. His defense was that it was consensual but MLB policy doesn’t make that distinction.
This is super judgemental. By definition it’s not “abuse” if it is consensual and this woman clearly enjoyed that type of interaction and gave consent to that type of treatment. Just because that type of sexual activity doesn’t work for you (or even most), that does not mean it doesn’t work for the two involved.
You think he is the ONLY baseball let alone athlete from any sport that does this?!! please there are many.
Kobe Bryant famously liked rough sex too. Nobody seems to remember that. I would venture to say that it’s fairly common among ultra competitive people, but that’s just a guess in my part.
The suspension should have been retroactive and he should win the appeal.
Look let be fair and I ain’t a fan of his but MLB is wrong and they should reverse the two year suspension and just make it one year with the other being accepted as part of last year.
His career is done and no team will touch him, so let just be fair and let him go away from baseball…
How can the suspension, which is without pay, be made retroactive when he’s been paid all the time he’s been on administrative leave?
Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. He will lose any appeal.
The comments on this matter veer back and forth between the legal realm and the “court of public opinion”, both of which CLEARLY have different “standards”. In the legal realm there exists the term Due Process, which can be defined as “fair treatment through the normal judicial system, especially as a citizen’s entitlement”. Although I am not a fan of Bauer, he should be treated fairly, and it appears he is not. MLB is effectively taking away his ability to work for almost 3 whole seasons in what is arguably the prime of his career. That is pretty messed up, based on 1) the state of the whole matter as it occurred (or did not occur) in the legal system, and 2) actions taken by MLB in similar cases in the past.
I would hope that anyone chiming in on this case considers how they would want to be treated if they were in Bauer’s shoes. I would hope that we all would want Bauer to be treated objectively fairly, regardless of your subjective opinion of the guy.
Let me be clearing that I’m not defending, sympathizing or siding with Bauer, but the fact that no charges could be brought against him due to lack of evidence gets Bauer two years, but literal video of Marcell Ozuna beating his wife gets him 20 games? I’m assuming MLB has a mountain of dirt on Bauer because if not, this is insane.
When that video of marcell was played it contradicted what the officers swore they saw which was marcell ozuna striking and choking his wife. There is no video evidence of ozuna striking his wife.
You obviously didn’t watch the video. Ozuna pushed her away, didn’t strike her or choke her like the police said, he was still wrong to do what he did. I think his punishment fit and seemingly from the recent news that yet another woman has come out to allege abuse from Bauer, his punishment might also be fitting
Bauer and his agent/attorney publicly admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy and then showed neither remorse nor a willingness to stop the activity. Bauer just said, but, but, but it was consensual even though the policy doesn’t distinguish between consensual and nonconsensual violent sexual acts. Ozuna entered a pretrial diversion program, took part in an intervention program, which included an anger management course, and completed 200 hours of community service and stayed away from his wife all before MLB instituted a retroactive 20 game suspension. Ozuna demonstrated his commitment to change.
I would advise the Dodgers not to go out and spend the money they owed Bauer prior to this announcement, they may still have to pay it even if it’s at a later date.
Bauer may be a lousy person but consentual rough sex is not domestic violence. Neither is refusing to pay someone off to make them go away. He will sue Manfred and MLB and will probably win.
This suspension seems rather harsh considering he was not actually charged with any crimes, his own teammate is on video pushing his girlfriend to the ground outside an LA nightclub and he only got 20 games.
This feels more like a personal vendetta by Manfred as if Bauer wronged him in some way
Really only matters for next year as they have blown past the tax line this year already
They should have some resolution by next January to move forward for 2023
“Bauer may be a lousy person but consentual rough sex is not domestic violence. Neither is refusing to pay someone off to make them go away.”
Neitehr is criticizing Rob Manfred.
Bauer and his agent/attorney admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. MLB does not have to have criminal charges filed in order to suspend a player. when they have suspended players without criminal charges, all have been upheld. Bauer’s suspension will be upheld on appeal. MLB will win if he is stupid enough to try to sue them because he publicly admitted breaking MLB policy.
Having sex with someone unconscious != consensual sex.
The moment a woman loses the ability to say no, the act is no longer consensual…
NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE FACT
Bauer is a walking liability to the sport. If MLB did NOT suspend him, they would have no leg to stand on trying to suspend anyone else.
The woe is me “anti-woke” folks are exhausting.
Good riddance to Bauer. He is a great pitcher with an extreme personality disorder. This guy is dangerous and should probably be banned from baseball permanently
I like Trevor and his comprehensive approach to pitching and conditioning. Unfortunately, many others in baseball find him insufferable. What he did was creepy and sick, but doesn’t merit a two-year ban that ensures that the Dodgers can just move on.
As a Mets fan, I’m just glad that they dodged a bullet. The media has given the Dodgers a free pass, but surely would have piled mercilessly on the LOLMets.
Actually, what he did does merit that suspension. He could have received much more up to a permanent ban from the game. Bauer and his agent/attorney admitted he committed violent sexual acts that violate MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy.
More time to play with his drones.
MLB just freed-up a lot of $ for the Dodgers.
That’s ridiculous!
No it’s not! Scumbags get what the deserve ! Haha deuces loser !
Good decision by MLB. Now, get rid of the stupid ghost runner.
Not Woke out here spitting that fire!!! Man how I wish people would get all the information from multiple outlets if you prefer. Then formulate their OWN opinion. I said it before, if you rely on social media platforms as you main source of information or news you are misinformed and gullible.
Clearly, Steve is testing us to see if we can behave by leaving comments open, so please, let’s show we can be civil. Unfortunately, I suspect we will eventually fail.
I thought they’d give him a year suspension, including time served. It’s unclear as I’m writing this if it’s two years on top of the administrative suspension, which will mean he’ll be gone from the game for nearly three years, or if he has to return the money he’s been paid since mid last season on administrative leave, and that the suspension will run through mid-next year. My guess is it’s the latter. He returns the money and his suspension runs through mid-2023.
Regardless, that will be the last year of his contract, IIRC, so I don’t see the Dodgers bringing him back and I don’t see any team ever signing him again. Stick a fork in his baseball career. He likely will sue MLB for hundreds of millions in lost compensation, so I’m guessing they believe they have an airtight case. They best hope so. Wouldn’t surprise me if behind the scenes MLB tries to work out some agreement just to avoid a protracted legal case.
Rob, drop the first paragraph bud. That’s some Manfried esque power tripping.
@LazingLeopard, maybe it’s just a RobM thing.
As an update, it appears the two-year suspension begins today, which means he’ll be removed from the game for over 2 1/2 years. I guess that means he keeps his salary for 2021 and the first month of this year. Have no idea where this goes from here. He can challenge and get a hearing. If they don’t reduce the suspension, can he sue? I can you sue for an