They’ll still have to pay him for the 2023 season.
Well, today’s the day that many Dodgers were anxiously awaiting. The deadline has come and gone, and Trevor Bauer has officially been released by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The move doesn’t exactly come as a surprise, as reports have circulated over the last few weeks suggesting that the Dodgers would in fact go this route. But on Friday, it became official.
The Dodgers will still be on the hook to pay Bauer’s salary — around $22.5 million — in 2023. He’s free to sign with any other of the 29 teams, but they’ll just have to pay him the veteran minimum.
This finally brings an end to a very rocky three seasons in Los Angeles for Bauer.
After the Dodgers won the World Series in 2020, they signed the National League’s reigning Cy Young Award winner in Bauer to a three-year deal. He was expected to make the best team in baseball even better, as they attempted to go back-to-back. It didn’t end up panning out that way.
Bauer pitched just 17 games in 2021, before being placed on administrative leave in June under the domestic violence policy. Bauer would ultimately be suspended for 324 games, seemingly ending his tenure in LA.
However, this offseason, his suspension was reduced to 194 games, making him instantly eligible to rejoin the roster. The Dodgers had two weeks to make the decision — used every last one of those hours — and ultimately decided it was in their best interest to move on.
