Trevor Bauer Meeting With Teams, Pursuing MLB Return After Sexual Assault Allegations
Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer is officially trying to return to the majors, according to a report from The New York Post's Jon Heyman.
Bauer hasn't pitched in the big leagues since June 2021, when a woman accused him sexual assault. That case was settled in October without any money exchanging hands, and while other women have outstanding accusations against Bauer, his team still took the latest development as a green light of sorts to pursue a new MLB contract.
Bauer's agents, Jon Fetterolf and Rachel Luba, met with teams at the annual GM Meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona, this week, per Heyman.
The 2020 NL Cy Young spent the past season pitching in Japan, even after an arbitrator reduced Bauer's 324-game suspension to 194. The Los Angeles Dodgers cut ties with Bauer in January, two years after they signed him to a three-year, $102 million megadeal.
As a member of the Yokohama Bay Stars in Nippon Professional Baseball, Bauer went 11-4 with a 2.59 ERA, 1.130 WHIP and 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Bauer with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, before trading him to the Cleveland Indians in 2013. After seven years in Cleveland, Bauer spent a year-and-a-half with the Cincinnati Reds, then one more with the Dodgers.
Bauer, who will turn 33 before next season, owns a 3.79 ERA and 1.243 WHIP for his career. In his last four seasons before he was exiled from MLB, Bauer went 36-28 with a 3.07 ERA, 1.095 WHIP and 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
According to Heyman, Bauer's average fastball velocity has actually increased by 1 mile per hour since he last pitched in the majors, maxing out at 99.3.
It remains to be seen which teams are interested in Bauer, as well as what a potential contract could look like given his checkered track record.
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