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Trevor Bauer has been suspended for two full seasons by Major League Baseball following the league’s investigation of domestic violence and sexual assault allegations made against him.
That suspension, which will be without pay, begins on Friday and does not include the 99 regular-season games the Dodgers right-hander has missed since being placed on administrative leave on July 2, 2021.
The Dodgers released the following statement after the announcement of the suspension:
“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 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.”
Bauer tweeted that he will appeal the 324-game suspension, which is the longest ever issued for someone who violated the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. He will be the first player to appeal a suspension under this policy.
“In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league’s domestic violence & sexual assault policy,” Bauer wrote on Twitter. “I am appealing this action and expect to prevail. As we have throughout this process, my representatives & I respect the confidentiality of the proceedings.”
Bauer’s contract with the Dodgers will expire before his suspension ends. This was to be the second season of a three-year, $102 million contract that Bauer signed prior to the 2021 season. He was due $64 million over the last two years of that deal, which ends at the conclusion of the 2023 season. The suspension will end roughly a month into the 2024 season.
Bauer, 31, was placed on paid administrative leave after a San Diego woman accused him of sexual assault during two sexual encounters. The woman also submitted a temporary ex parte restraining order against him. Bauer maintained he did nothing wrong, saying the encounters were consensual.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied the restraining order. In February, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office announced that it would not pursue a criminal case against Bauer.
Major League Baseball had been conducting a separate investigation of its own over the last nine months in order to determine if Bauer violated the league’s domestic violence policy. Under the joint domestic violence policy agreed upon by MLB and the MLBPA, the Commissioner’s Office has the ability to suspend a player even if he has not been charged or convicted in court.
While that investigation was ongoing, MLB and the MLBPA agreed to extend Bauer’s leave multiple times. He missed the final 81 regular-season games in 2021 and the first 18 games of the 2022 season. Bauer, whose leave was set to expire on Friday, has been paid while away from the club.
There have been multiple instances of players receiving a suspension under the joint domestic violence policy even after criminal charges were dropped. One such example came in August 2019, when Bauer’s current teammate, Julio Urías, was suspended 20 games after an incident that May in which he was arrested for investigation of possible misdemeanor domestic battery. Urías accepted the discipline without appeal.
