Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer and his agents spoke out on social media after his suspension was shortened by an independent arbitrator.
On Thursday evening, the word came down that the suspension of Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer has been cut by about 40%, from 324 games to 194, making him eligible immediately to return to play. Bauer, of course, had something to say pretty soon after the decision was announced.
Bauer’s representatives issued an official statement, too:
Notably absent from both statements: any mention of the Dodgers. Bauer mentions seeing fans at “a stadium,” and the official statement says his goal is to help “his team” win a World Series.
This could just be Bauer and his agents reading between the lines and suspecting the Dodgers are done with him. At the very least, they could be hedging their bets just in case that happens. Bauer social media presence and his website also don’t mention the Dodgers at all. Even when Bauer was in everyone’s good graces (relatively speaking), he’s always seemed more focused on self-promotion than anything else, so it’s not overly surprising he doesn’t mention the team he hasn’t pitched for in 18 months.
The Dodgers have two weeks to decide what to do with Bauer; at that point, they have to either put him on their 40-man roster (which is currently full) or get rid of him. But unless they trade him, they’ll be responsible for paying him about $22.1 million in 2023, and his number for purposes of the luxury tax will be just over $23.5 million.
Congratulations, Andrew Friedman! Your gift at this holiday season is a huge headache!
