Major League Baseball suspended Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer for two full seasons without pay on Friday for breaking the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault rules, which he denies.
Bauer’s lengthy ban follows allegations that he battered and sexually abused a San Diego woman whom he met through social media last year.
She later applied for a restraining order, but it was denied. Prosecutors in Los Angeles concluded in February that there wasn’t enough evidence to establish the woman’s claims beyond a reasonable doubt.
Bauer has stated numerous times that everything between the two was voluntary.
In a statement released Friday, he stated, “In the strongest possible words, I deny committing any violation of the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policies.”
“This action is being appealed, and I anticipate to win. My representatives and I have maintained the confidentiality of the proceedings throughout this period.”
Bauer will lose roughly $60 million in compensation if the penalty is upheld.
Bauer filed a federal lawsuit against his accuser earlier this week, less than three months after prosecutors chose not to pursue criminal charges against him. Bauer filed a lawsuit against the woman and one of her attorneys, Niranjan Fred Thiagarajah. People who claim to have been sexual assault victims are rarely identified by the Associated Press.
After the lady claimed that he choked her into unconsciousness, struck her repeatedly, and had anal sex with her without her consent during two sexual encounters last year, the complaint said that “the damage to Mr. Bauer has been tremendous.”
According to the pitcher, the two had hard sex at his Pasadena house at her request and adhered to pre-agreed limits. He claimed that each encounter ended with them joking and her staying the night.
Bauer was placed on administrative leave on July 2 as part of MLB and the players’ association’s joint domestic violence and sexual assault policy.
Bauer’s absence has been extended several times, and he has been paid his $32 million salary while on leave. On Friday, he was no longer compensated.
“In compliance with the rules of the Policy, the Commissioner’s Office will not publish any further statements at this point in time,” MLB said in a brief statement that didn’t go into depth about the investigation’s conclusions.
Bauer signed a three-year, $102 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers after earning his first Cy Young Award with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020. He didn’t throw again after June 29 and ended the season with an 8-2 record and 2.59 ERA in 17 outings. Last year, he received his $28 million paycheck.
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The Dodgers issued a statement saying, “The Dodgers organization takes all claims of this sort extremely seriously and does not condone or excuse any acts of domestic abuse or sexual assault.”
“Since the inquiry began, we’ve completely cooperated with MLB, and we fully support MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy, as well as the Commissioner’s enforcement of the Policy.
Trevor, we hear, has the right to challenge the Commissioner’s decision. As a result, we will refrain from making any more comments until the process is completed.”
