Tag Archives: Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer has administrative leave extended to July 27, sources say

The administrative leave for Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer has been extended by nearly two weeks to July 27, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

The move pushes Bauer’s leave past a scheduled July 23 hearing for a domestic violence restraining order filed by a woman in L.A. County Superior Court.

Major League Baseball and the Pasadena Police Department are conducting separate investigations into Bauer after the woman said in the order that he choked her until she lost consciousness on multiple occasions, punching her in several areas of her body and leaving her with injuries that required hospitalization over the course of two sexual encounters this year, the last of which occurred on May 16 at Bauer’s Pasadena, California, home.

Bauer’s representatives issued a statement denying that Bauer had assaulted the woman, calling the encounters “wholly consensual.”

Bauer is required to attend next week’s hearing, but he has the right to not testify on his own behalf.

It’s the third time Bauer’s leave has been extended; the first two times were by seven-day increments. The Major League Baseball Players Association also needed to provide consent for the leave to be extended.

If the MLBPA hadn’t consented to another extension, the league would have faced a difficult decision of either allowing Bauer back on the active roster while criminal charges are being investigated or prematurely handing out punishment.

While on leave, Bauer continues to get paid by the Dodgers, from whom he is receiving around $1.5 million per week.

The Dodgers previously canceled Bauer’s bobblehead night, scheduled for Aug. 19, and have removed his merchandise from team and online stores, saying they “did not feel it was appropriate” given the investigations.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Alden Gonzalez contributed to this report.

Read original article here

Trevor Bauer administrative leave extended 7 days by MLB amid investigation of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher

Trevor Bauer’s administrative leave was extended by seven days on Thursday, as Major League Baseball continues its investigation into sexual assault allegations against the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher.

The extension, which came on the final day of Bauer’s initial leave, was attained with the consent of the MLB Players Association. The MLBPA must grant consent for any extension of administrative leave, which guarantees players full compensation and service time while investigations proceed.

MLB and the Pasadena Police Department are conducting separate investigations into Bauer after a woman accused him of choking her until she lost consciousness on multiple occasions, punching her in several areas of her body and leaving her with injuries that required hospitalization over the course of two sexual encounters this year.

Bauer’s co-agents, Rachel Luba and Jon Fetterolf, released a statement shortly after MLB’s announcement Thursday.

“We continue to refute [the woman’s] allegations in the strongest possible terms and Mr. Bauer vehemently denies her account of their two meetings,” the statement said.

“Again, administrative leave is neither a disciplinary action nor does it in any way reflect a finding in the league’s investigation.”

The allegations are part of a domestic violence restraining order filed in L.A. County Superior Court last week, copies of which were obtained by ESPN.

The restraining order was executed as a temporary ex parte, which can be attained without input from the other party. Bauer’s side plans to deny the account during a hearing scheduled for July 23, according to his representatives. Last week, those representatives issued a statement denying that Bauer had assaulted the woman, calling the encounters “wholly consensual.”

The Dodgers have canceled Bauer’s bobblehead night, scheduled for Aug. 19, and have removed his merchandise from team and online stores, saying they “did not feel it was appropriate” given the investigations.

Bauer, the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, joined the Dodgers with a record-setting three-year, $102 million contract in February. His leave extension guarantees that he will not be around the team through the All-Star break.

Read original article here

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Trevor Bauer placed on 7-day administrative leave amid sexual assault allegations

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer, facing allegations of sexual assault, was placed on seven-day administrative leave by Major League Baseball on Friday, a decision that will prevent him from making his scheduled start on Sunday.

Bauer, whose side has denied the allegations, has declined to appeal MLB’s decision.

“Mr. Bauer will not appeal MLB’s decision to place him on administrative leave at this time in an effort to minimize any distraction to the Dodgers organization and to his teammates,” Bauer’s co-agents Jon Fetterolf and Rachel Luba said in a statement. “Of note, administrative leave is neither a disciplinary action nor does it in any way reflect a finding in the league’s investigation.”

Administrative leave, adopted under a joint domestic violence policy between MLB and the MLBPA, is not considered a suspension; the player still gets his full salary despite not participating in games.

MLB can request an extension of seven additional days with consent from the MLB Players Association. Doing so would keep Bauer off the field through the All-Star break, buying more time for an ongoing investigation.

“MLB’s investigation into the allegations made against Trevor Bauer is ongoing,” the league wrote in a statement. “While no determination in the case has been made, we have made the decision to place Mr. Bauer on seven-day administrative leave effective immediately. MLB continues to collect information in our ongoing investigation concurrent with the Pasadena Police Department’s active criminal investigation. We will comment further at the appropriate time.”

Bauer has been accused by a woman of choking her until she lost consciousness on multiple occasions, punching her in several areas of her body and leaving her with injuries that required hospitalization over the course of two sexual encounters earlier this year, according to a domestic violence restraining order that was filed in L.A. County Superior Court this week, copies of which were obtained by ESPN on Wednesday.

While asking the court to issue a no-contact order that would prevent Bauer from coming within 100 yards of her, the woman, a 27-year-old who resides in San Diego, provided graphic details of sexual encounters with Bauer and photographs that show two black eyes, scratches on her face and bruised and cut lips. The alleged incidents took place at Bauer’s home in Pasadena, California, on April 21 and May 16, and are being investigated by the local police department.

The restraining order was executed as a temporary ex parte, which can be achieved without input from the other party. Bauer’s side plans to deny the account during a hearing scheduled for July 23, according to his representatives. On Tuesday, those representatives issued a statement denying that Bauer had assaulted the woman, calling the encounters “wholly consensual.” The following day, they provided a series of text messages that show the woman inviting rough sex and talking about how she wants him to “gimme all the pain” and “choke me out.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday afternoon that Bauer was still on track to make his Sunday start in Washington, D.C., saying, “As of now, we’re kind of in the middle of letting the commissioner’s office, Major League Baseball, handle this. It’s in their hands right now, and right now, our direction was to just move forward and not do anything as far as the player or Trevor.”

Read original article here

MLB cannot allow Trevor Bauer to pitch on Sunday – The Athletic

Major League Baseball must act. A woman, in an official request to a court for a domestic violence restraining order, said that Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer assaulted her on two occasions. She made her allegation under the penalty of perjury. The league has the power to hit the pause button on Bauer’s season while continuing an investigation, and that is absolutely the step it must take.

Under its joint domestic violence policy with the players’ union, commissioner Rob Manfred can immediately place a player accused of domestic violence on administrative leave for up to seven days. The placement is not disciplinary, not a declaration of guilt. The player continues to get paid. He can also request a hearing before an arbitration panel within 24 hours seeking reinstatement.

It’s a procedural move, a relatively minor one at that. It’s the necessary move, considering the seriousness of the allegations against Bauer. And while the Dodgers could decide on their own to skip Bauer’s next start on Sunday, the joint policy says the initial authority to discipline players rests with the commissioner’s office. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts defaulted to that position Thursday night, telling reporters, “It’s out of our hands.”

That’s not true. The Dodgers choose which players they want to use every day. Near the end of the 2015 season, the Nationals suspended Jonathan Papelbon for four games without pay after he tried to choke teammate Bryce Harper in the dugout. Papelbon filed a grievance and won back his pay. The Nationals knew such an outcome was possible. But they went ahead with the suspension anyway, believing it was the right thing to do.

Evidently, the Dodgers are unwilling to take the same step, perhaps out of fear the union will file a grievance if they skip Bauer’s turn when he is healthy, perceiving it as an act of discipline. Fine, follow the domestic violence policy to the letter, and leave this to Manfred. Earlier this week, Manfred suspended Mariners pitcher Héctor Santiago 10 games for possessing a foreign substance on his glove. Granted, the offenses are entirely different. But how ridiculous would it look for MLB to dock Santiago and not even buy time with Bauer, whose alleged offense is far more serious? What exactly would Manfred’s trepidation be here?

To repeat: The woman signed a sworn statement. A restraining order was granted. The Pasadena (Calif.) Police Department is conducting an active investigation. Also: Bauer responded to the allegations not by denying they happened, but by saying they were consensual. His attorney, Jon Fetterolf, said in a statement Tuesday that Bauer “did what was asked.”

In her statement, the woman said she did not ask Bauer to punch her in the face, vagina and buttocks, to stick his fingers down her throat, to engage in anal sex while she was unconscious. She said she sought medical attention after her second encounter with Bauer. And, as attorney Sheryl Ring noted Thursday on Twitter, “the law says that certain things are illegal EVEN IF CONSENT IS GIVEN (Ring’s cap) because they’re so eminently harmful, either that consent cannot be freely given for them, or because that consent is invalid as a matter of public policy.”

Which is not to say Bauer is guilty. The Pasadena Police Department will recommend to a district attorney whether to file charges against him, and he is entitled to due process, both from the legal system and the league. If he is charged, the league likely will withhold judgment until his case moves through the courts. Under its domestic violence policy, Bauer need neither be charged nor convicted for Manfred to suspend him. The legal principles and standards that apply in a courtroom do not necessarily apply in the workplace. The league has more latitude to exercise discretion, as do the Dodgers.

Placing Bauer on a seven-day administrative leave not only would spare the league the tone-deaf look of him taking the mound four days after The Athletic reported details of the restraining order, but also give Manfred and his investigators time to form a fuller judgment. The seven days would end just before the All-Star break, and the downtime at the break effectively would give the league nearly two weeks to determine its next course of action.

Bauer cannot remain on administrative leave indefinitely; after the seven days expire, Manfred would lose sole authority to keep him off the field. The union must approve any extension of administrative leave, as it did with former Cubs shortstop Addison Russell in 2018 and Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán in 2019, two players the league ultimately suspended.

Would the union fight a similar extension with Bauer? Perhaps, if it believed the league was acting unfairly. The union, after all, exists to defend and assert the rights of the players. But based on the details in the domestic violence restraining order against Bauer, the union also might view a prolonged investigation into his conduct as warranted.

One step at a time. The first question is whether the league should allow Bauer to take the mound Sunday when it has the power to place him on a form of leave that assigns him no guilt and enables him to continue getting paid.

The answer for Manfred is so obvious, he should have announced the decision almost immediately. If Bauer wants to challenge it, fine. If he prevails in front of an arbitrator or ultimately is cleared of any wrongdoing, so be it. But when a star player faces such pointed allegations, a league that professes to be taking domestic violence and sexual misconduct against women seriously cannot abandon that responsibility. It cannot allow Bauer to pitch Sunday.

(Photo: Norm Hall / Getty Images)

Get all-access to exclusive stories.

Subscribe to The Athletic for ad-free, in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.

START FREE TRIAL

(function(d, s, id){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');

ga('create', 'UA-72907525-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview');

Read original article here

Graphic details, photos emerge in restraining order filed against Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer – The Athletic

Content warning: This story includes allegations of sexual assault that may be difficult to read and emotionally upsetting.

A domestic violence restraining order filed against Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer and executed on June 28 includes multiple graphic images from the woman who filed the request. The woman, in the 67-page ex-parte document, said that Bauer assaulted her on two different occasions. Together, the woman said those two incidents included Bauer punching her in the face, vagina, and buttocks, sticking his fingers down her throat, and strangling her to the point where she lost consciousness multiple times.

The alleged assaults described by the woman, which are extremely graphic in nature, happened during what she said began as consensual sexual encounters between the two. According to the woman’s declaration attached to the request and obtained by The Athletic, she suffered injuries as a result of the second encounter, including two black eyes, a bloodied swollen lip, significant bruising and scratching to one side of her face. In the woman’s declaration, signed under penalty of perjury of California state laws, she said that her medical notes state that she had “significant head and facial trauma” and that there were signs of basilar skull fracture.

She also said that, in one of those incidents, while unconscious, Bauer penetrated her anally, which she did not consent to in advance.

“I agreed to have consensual sex; however, I did not agree or consent to what he did next,” she says. “I did not agree to be sexually assaulted.”

Reached by The Athletic on Wednesday, and presented with a request for comment regarding the ex-parte document, Bauer’s camp declined further comment, and deferred to the statement made on Tuesday night by Bauer’s agent, Jon Fetterolf.

That statement reads: “Mr. Bauer had a brief and wholly consensual sexual relationship initiated by [the woman] beginning in April 2021. We have messages that show [her] repeatedly asking for ‘rough’ sexual encounters involving requests to be ‘choked out’ and slapped in the face.

“In both of their encounters, [the woman] drove from San Diego to Mr. Bauer’s residence in Pasadena, Calif. where she went on to dictate what she wanted from him sexually and he did what was asked. Following each of her only two meetings with Mr. Bauer, [the woman] spent the night and left without incident, continuing to message Mr. Bauer with friendly and flirtatious banter. In the days following their second and final encounter, [the woman] shared photos of herself and indicated that she had sought medical care for a concussion. Mr. Bauer responded with concern and confusion, and [the woman] was neither angry nor accusatory.

“Mr. Bauer and [the woman] have not corresponded in over a month and have not seen each other in over six weeks. Her basis for filing a protection order is nonexistent, fraudulent, and deliberately omits key facts, information, and her own relevant communications. Any allegations that the pair’s encounters were not 100% consensual are baseless, defamatory, and will be refuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Bryan Freedman, the woman’s attorney, said Wednesday in a statement to The Athletic: “Without going into detail for the benefit of both my client and Mr. Bauer, the pictures evidencing the unconsented abuse do not lie. Any suggestion that she was not the victim of assault is not only false and defamatory but, in fact, perpetuates the abuse. Our client truly wants Mr. Bauer to engage in a medically appropriate therapeutic process where he can receive the treatment he needs to never act this way again. If he is willing to meaningfully participate in a process directed by appropriate professionals, it will go a long way toward allowing her to feel safe and resolving this matter. But, regardless, she cannot allow this to happen unknowingly to anyone else.”

The pair first met on Instagram and, after messaging back and forth, on April 21 the woman said she drove from San Diego to Los Angeles to meet Bauer. After conversing, they had sex which she described in the report as initially consensual, which involved Bauer asking the woman if she had ever been choked. She responded yes, “meaning that his putting his hands around my neck and applying light pressure.” She alleges Bauer then began putting his fingers down her throat in an aggressive manner to which she asked him to stop. “He stopped, but then without asking me or telling me in advance, he wrapped my hair around my neck and choked me,” the report states. “I lost consciousness.”

The woman says she did not know how long she was unconscious.

“I woke up face down on the bed, disoriented. I began realizing that he was having sex with me in my anus, which I never communicated that I wanted, nor did I consent,” the woman said in her official declaration attached to the requested order.

She said that when she used the bathroom after the encounter she was bleeding from her anus and barely able to walk, but said in her declaration “in my state at that time, I did not think Trevor was a threat to do anything against my will for the remainder of the night.” She said the following morning Bauer asked her, “You feeling a little sore this morning?” in a joking manner. She said she was taken aback that he was trying to make light of the situation and told him she didn’t enjoy when he commenced having anal sex with her. She said he seemed to understand and that she left an hour later.

The report says on the night of May 15, 2021, Bauer invited the woman to his house again and this time asked her to agree on a safe word. About five minutes into sex, she said that he began choking her again, at which point she lost consciousness and “was unable to speak or move my body.” She says when she regained consciousness, Bauer was punching her head: “This was the first punch I felt but it is very possible that Trevor had already been punching and scratching the right side of my face while I was unconscious. Trevor then punched me hard with a closed fist to the left side of my jaw, the left side of my head, and both cheekbones. I remember this vividly and it was extremely startling and painful. I was absolutely frozen and terrified. I could not speak or move. After punching me several times, he then flipped me back onto my stomach and began choking me with hair. I lost consciousness again.”

The woman said she had a terrible pain behind both of her ears and detailed tasting blood, as if her lip was split open. The woman said that when she regained consciousness, she was crying and shaking violently and that Bauer said to her repeatedly: “You’re safe. I’m here. You’re safe.” He began scratching her back and whispered to her, “I would never do those things to you if it wasn’t sexually.”

The woman said she told him she thought her body was having a trauma response. Bauer, the woman said, asked if she had ever been hit before. She told him she had not. She said he then told her he was going to take a shower.

The woman, who is 27 years old, provided multiple pictures as part of the request to the court. In those photos, the woman’s face is visibly bruised and swollen, including under both of her eyes. She also has a swollen jaw, bloodied lip and scratches to the side of her face.

As part of the request to the court, the woman also provided text messages and screenshots of voicemails she said Bauer sent to her inquiring about her well being and checking in with her to see what he could do; in one message, Bauer offers to deliver groceries to her. The woman also said that she underwent two medical examinations in connection with her injuries from the second encounter, including going to the emergency room at the Alvarado Hospital Medical Center in San Diego on May 16, where she said she underwent rapid CT scans for her brain, face and neck.

After telling the emergency room psychiatrist and doctor what had happened, she said she met with multiple detectives with the San Diego Police Department. According to the woman, she downplayed what had happened as “rough sex” and didn’t divulge Bauer’s name at the time because she feared the potential repercussions if the information became public.

“I was afraid what Trevor would do if he found out,” the woman said in her account. “I remain afraid that Trevor will find me and hurt me for going to the hospital.”

The woman said in her declaration she was diagnosed with an acute head injury and assault by manual strangulation, and that she is willing to share her medical notes with the court.

According to her account, the woman was then taken to another hospital, Palomar Health in Escondido, where she underwent a SART (sexual assault response team) exam by a nurse who specializes in sexual assault examinations. The woman said medical professionals photographed her entire body and that she has requested those photos.

Provided in the court request is also her account of a recorded conversation she had with Bauer at the Pasadena Police Department’s direction.

Bauer had been, according to the woman, messaging her “nonstop” since the second incident occurred, asking her if she was all right. The Pasadena police had her send a text to Bauer stating that she’d like to talk over the phone and that, in the course of that recorded phone call, she asked Bauer: “What did you do to me when I was unconscious?”

Bauer admitted to punching her in the buttocks repeatedly, but when she said that she did not consent to that and did not consider it a “free-for-all,” Bauer then tried to change the conversation.

“At the end of the phone call, at the police’s instructions, I said, ‘Thank you for acknowledging what you did to me,’” the woman’s account said. “Trevor acknowledged it and asked how we could move forward and asked if he could still reach out.” The woman said she told him he could because she did not know if the police needed more messages from him to collect as evidence as part of their investigation.

Lt. Bill Grisafe confirmed Wednesday the Pasadena Police Department is actively investigating this. “We were notified on or about May 16 and that’s when we began looking into the accusations,” he said. “It’s an active investigation.”

Grisafe told The Athletic that the case has not been presented to the district attorney’s office, which would be the next step after the investigation concludes for potential charging.

“We anticipate there will be criminal action against Mr. Bauer and it is our hope law enforcement will take our client’s allegations and case seriously,” the woman’s lawyer, Marc Garelick, said in a statement.

The woman said she waited to request the domestic violence restraining order to see how the criminal investigation would proceed and expressed concern over the timeline.

“I am deeply concerned that no arrest has been made or charges filed,” she said in the document.

“One of the last text messages I sent him was, ‘I appreciate all of your offers to help, but the best way you can help me is to never do that to anyone else ever again.’ To this, Trevor responded, ‘I would never do anything to hurt anyone. That includes you.’”

The 30-year-old Bauer signed a record-breaking, three-year, $102 million deal this winter on the heels of winning the National League Cy Young Award. He last pitched on Monday.

The Dodgers said in a statement they were made aware of the allegations against Bauer on Tuesday afternoon and “take any allegations of this nature very seriously.” The statement also says the Dodgers immediately contacted Major League Baseball, which will be investigating the matter, and that the team had no further comment.

(Photo: Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Get all-access to exclusive stories.

Subscribe to The Athletic for ad-free, in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.

START FREE TRIAL

(function(d, s, id){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');

ga('create', 'UA-72907525-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview');

Read original article here

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Trevor Bauer pitches shutout inning vs. San Diego Padres with one eye closed

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Trevor Bauer immersed himself into a budding rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres with one eye closed.

The Dodgers’ prized offseason acquisition navigated through his first inning against the Padres on Saturday afternoon by pitching mostly with his right eye closed, a training method he said he uses frequently as a means to make himself uncomfortable.

“I figured if they can’t score off me with one eye open, it’s gonna be difficult to score off me with two eyes open,” Bauer said after throwing three scoreless innings from the Dodgers’ facility. “Just having a little bit of fun.”

Bauer didn’t go into specifics for why he occasionally chooses to keep an eye closed, though Dodgers manager Dave Roberts mentioned that it had something to do with recalibrating his command.

“I think there might have been one curveball I think he did with both eyes closed,” Roberts said while holding his laughter. “I don’t know, but there is a method to his madness.”

Bauer, 30, said he routinely keeps at least one eye closed in bullpen sessions, while playing long toss and when facing hitters over the offseason, adding that he likes “making myself uncomfortable and throwing different stuff my way and trying to find a solution for it.”

Bauer gave up a single to Jurickson Profar to begin his outing, capping a nine-pitch at-bat, then issued a walk to Tommy Pham before retiring the next three batters, the last two on strikeouts. Over the next two innings — with both eyes open, apparently — he retired six of the seven hitters he faced.

The Padres were coming off a Friday night game and didn’t play most of their starters, which meant Bauer didn’t get another crack at third baseman Manny Machado, who is famously batting .588/.667/.1.412 against him in 17 career plate appearances. Bauer previously made a YouTube video analyzing Machado’s success against him, and Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman joked about the desire to figure something out against Machado shortly after signing Bauer to a three-year, $102 million contract last month.

Bauer joked that Machado was “already ducking me” by not making the trip.

When the games begin counting, Bauer said he’ll have plenty of chances against him.

“Just wait,” Bauer said behind a wry smile. “It’s gonna be a fun year.”

Read original article here

Trevor Bauer signing with Los Angeles Dodgers, set to be MLB’s top earner in 2021, ’22, sources say

Trevor Bauer, the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner, has agreed to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the California native announcing his move in a YouTube video Friday.

Bauer and the Dodgers are in agreement on a three-year, $102 million deal that has opt-outs after Years 1 and 2, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Bauer is set to make $40 million in 2021 and $45 million in 2022, sources said.

Bauer, who has a notable online presence, appeared to tease his destination earlier Friday by offering a giveaway for a signed Dodgers hat on his website — though he also had several brief references to the New York Mets, believed to be the other finalist, on the site as well.

Sources told Passan that the Mets offered a higher overall value than the Dodgers, but Los Angeles’ offer will make him the highest-paid player in each of the next two seasons.

According to Spotrac’s MLB team payroll tracker, Bauer’s $40 million salary for the 2021 season is higher than the projected 26-man payroll of the Pittsburgh Pirates ($30 million), Baltimore Orioles ($34.2 million) and Cleveland Indians ($36.5 million).

Bauer, a 30-year-old right-hander, was the first reigning Cy Young Award winner to enter free agency since Greg Maddux in 1992.

A first-time free agent who played last season for the Cincinnati Reds on a $17 million deal that was prorated to $6.4 million, Bauer was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball in 2020, going 5-4 with a 1.73 ERA, a 0.79 WHIP, 100 strikeouts and 17 walks during the pandemic-shortened season. Opposing batters hit .159 against him, which led all major league pitchers. In addition to WHIP and ERA, Bauer led the NL in ERA+, which adjusts for his hitter-friendly home ballpark, and hits allowed per nine innings (5.055) in 2020.

He rejected a one-year, $18.9 million qualifying offer from the Reds, who will get a compensatory draft pick, approximately No. 60, with him signing with a new team. The Dodgers will forfeit their second-highest pick in the July amateur draft and $500,000 of international signing bonus allocation.

Bauer joins a Dodgers rotation that was one of the best in the majors in 2020 and now has three former Cy Young winners in Bauer, Clayton Kershaw and David Price. Last season, the Dodgers ranked first in WHIP and second in ERA, opponent’s batting average and opponent’s OPS.

The Dodgers’ odds improved slightly following Bauer’s announcement. Already the World Series favorite, the Dodgers are now listed at +400 (up from +450) to win the title at Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill, while their NL pennant odds moved from +220 to +200 and their NL West odds went from -200 to -220.

Bauer’s arsenal includes a variety of pitches, and he found great success with his cut fastball while throwing an NL-high two shutouts last season. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Bauer set up batters to knock them out on the outer half of the plate, leading the NL with 63 strikeouts while holding hitters to a .145 batting average in that location.

Off the mound, Bauer has voiced opinions and criticism on everything from commissioner Rob Manfred to MLB-MLBPA negotiations to insinuating that Houston Astros pitchers were applying substances to baseballs to increase spin rate. In 2018, Bauer was fined for throwing a baseball from the mound over the center-field fence before being removed from a game. In 2016, he was scratched from Game 2 of the American League Championship Series after he sliced the tip of his finger while doing maintenance on his drone.

The Reds acquired Bauer in a trade with the Cleveland Indians at the deadline in July 2019. He made 10 starts after the deal that year, going 2-5 with a 6.39 ERA for the Reds.

In nine seasons since he broke into the majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2012, Bauer is 75-64 with 1,279 strikeouts and a 3.90 ERA. His only All-Star selection came in 2018.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read original article here

Mets set deadline for Trevor Bauer decision after making huge offer

The Mets have put Trevor Bauer on the clock.

The Post has learned that the Mets set a noon deadline Eastern time Friday for Bauer, the free-agent starting pitcher, to take or leave their offer that totals between $100 million and $110 million over three years. The package features opt-outs for Bauer after both 2021 and 2022.

The proposal pays Bauer high salaries for the first two years — about $40 million each season — with a drop for 2023.

With the Mets concerned that the Southern California native Bauer prefers the Dodgers, the other team in the mix for the reigning NL Cy Young winner, they felt compelled to press the right-hander for the decision one way or the other.

Read original article here

Mets, Dodgers are finalists to sign pitcher

Mets pitchers and catchers report to spring training in less than two weeks, and by Friday afternoon team officials should know whether Trevor Bauer will be among those attending.

The ace right-hander’s agent, Rachel Luba, announced Thursday on Twitter that Bauer has narrowed his choices to two teams — with all indications pointing to the Mets and Dodgers as the finalists.

Bauer, the top free-agent starting pitcher on the market, received an offer from the Mets about three weeks ago, according to an industry source. The belief in the industry has been that if offers are close, Bauer will choose the Mets because a desire to grow his personal brand in the biggest market possible.

Bauer has sought to become baseball’s highest-paid pitcher in terms of average annual value, but the Mets’ initial offer to him was short of the $36 million per year Gerrit Cole is receiving from the Yankees, according to a source. The offer was expected to fall within the three-to-four year range (north of $30 million annually) and include at least one opt-out.

Last season the 30-year-old Bauer won the National League Cy Young Award, after going 5-4 with a 1.73 ERA in 11 starts for the Reds. His addition would give the Mets a dynamic 1-2 punch atop their rotation, with Jacob deGrom (who won the Cy Young Award in 2018 and ’19) as the other component.

Trevor Bauer’s free agency decision is nearing.
Getty Images

The Mets already have enjoyed a fruitful winter under new owner Steve Cohen, with the trade that brought Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland. Bauer’s addition would reunite three components from the Indians’ World Series run in 2016.

James McCann and Trevor May, both of whom signed as free agents, are the Mets’ other significant additions this winter. That doesn’t include Marcus Stroman, who accepted the Mets’ qualifying offer to return for 2021.

The Mets rotation to begin the season would potentially be deGrom, Bauer, Carrasco, Stroman and David Peterson. By June, the team is hoping Noah Syndergaard returns from Tommy John surgery rehab to provide another high-octane arm.

Other rotation possibilities include Joey Lucchesi and Jordan Yamamoto, both of whom arrived in trades and have minor league options remaining.

Wherever he lands, Bauer’s words will be scrutinized following multiple incidents of social media bullying. Most notably, he harassed a female college student on Twitter two years ago and later apologized. Bauer’s responses to the woman included digging up a photo from her timeline of her drinking before her 21st birthday, subjecting her to ridicule by his 414,000 followers. Bauer tweeted 17 times at the woman or at others while discussing her over three days.

His volatility also would be under extra scrutiny on a Mets team reeling from PR disasters following the dismissal of GM Jared Porter for sending a reporter lewd texts and allegations that former manager Mickey Callaway harassed reporters.

“I have been made aware that some of the interactions related to a specific Twitter exchange may have had a negative impact,” Bauer said in a recent statement. “That was not my intention. I will wield the responsibility of my public platform more responsibly in the future.”

Bauer’s addition would put the Mets right up against or above the luxury-tax threshold of $210 million. If they surpass the figure, they will pay a 20 percent penalty on every dollar spent beyond $210 million.

But even with Bauer, the Mets might not be finished spending as they look for potential upgrades in center field and at third base.

If the Mets don’t sign Bauer, they could pivot toward a middle-of-the-rotation option such as Jake Odorizzi or James Paxton.

Read original article here

MLB rumors: Mets offer Trevor Bauer multi-year deal

As the Trevor Bauer sweepstakes continue to heat up, the Mets are making a serious push to add the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner to their rotation.

The Mets have reportedly made Bauer a multi-year offer of three or four years that’s less than the record $36 million average annual value for a pitcher, according to Jon Heyman of the MLB Network. The deal includes opt outs, and there’s a belief that Bauer is seeking a much longer deal after previously vowing to sign only one-year contracts.

Heyman also reports that the Dodgers have a similar interest in Bauer, though they’re eyeing a shorter-term deal. It could come down to the Mets and Dodgers as the final two teams pursuing Bauer, particularly now that the Angels appear to be out of the running. The relationship between Bauer and Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway—who coached Bauer in Cleveland—has reportedly “eroded beyond repair,” according to Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times.

Check out the rest of Sunday’s MLB rumors below:

  • The Nationals have reportedly reached an agreement with veteran catcher Alex Avila on a one-year contract. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)
  • The Cubs have signed right-handed pitcher Kohl Stewart to a one-year, $700,000 contract. Stewart, the No. 4 overall pick from the 2013 draft, has a 4.79 career ERA in 62 innings. (Bob Nightengale, USA Today)
  • After reportedly reaching an agreement on a one-year deal with veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals are also interested in bringing back catcher Yadier Molina and second baseman Kolten Wong. (Jon Heyman, MLB Network)



Read original article here