Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
MLB has announced they have suspended Dodgers right-handed pitcher Trevor Bauer for two years.
Honestly, I’m shocked MLB actually suspended Bauer for this length of time, especially since the league massively bungled the Marcell Ozuna situation just last year.
Here’s a statement from the team:
And from Bauer:
It remains to be seen if he wins the appeal and has the suspension reduced. Regardless, there’s no way the Dodgers can ever allow him back. And if the appeal is lost it all becomes simple as the two years will cover the remainder of his contract.
After the appeal process, the Dodgers would do well to do what the Nationals did last year with Starlin Castro and announce they’ll release him following the suspension.
——-
I’m sure there will be more on this story in the coming days. For now, this is a good day.
======
Update
There was indeed more to the story, as a third woman has now come forward with accusations against Bauer, according to the Washington Post.
Be warned that the story goes into graphic detail.
As their years-long sexual relationship continued, the woman said, they agreed he would stop choking her before she passed out. But he frequently ignored her warnings, she said. He also slapped her without her consent and anally penetrated her while she was unconscious, she said.
The Columbus woman shared photos and screenshots of text messages documenting that she had a relationship with Bauer. One screenshot shows a text message bearing Bauer’s name in which he allegedly wrote, “I want to f— you while you’re completely unconscious.”
Baseball is the last thing we should be thinking about with regards to serious issues like this, but the allegations do tie into the suspension of Bauer and the investigation by MLB.
The Columbus woman and her lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said she shared her allegations with the league. She said she is willing to testify in the arbitration hearing that would result from Bauer appealing. MLB declined to comment for this story.
Bauer declined through his attorney and agent, Jon Fetterolf, to be interviewed. A statement issued by Bauer’s representatives did not deny that the Columbus woman had a relationship with Bauer but said that the pitcher “unequivocally denies” her “false and defamatory” allegations.“
It also appears that Bauer’s own lawsuit against a different alleged victim and her lawyer — he also has ones against media outlets — motivated the third woman to come forward.
Bauer’s denials appear to have motivated the Columbus woman, who said she decided to speak up to support the women he has attempted to publicly brand as liars. “My hope is that people will see that these girls aren’t making this up,” she said. “I have no reason to come forward other than to back up what they’re saying and to say that, like, this happened to me years ago, before he was anybody.”
For further detail, you can read the story, but again, it goes into graphic detail.
Additionally, Bill Shaikin at the Los Angeles Times has been on top of this story from the start, and he has another great explainer here.
