Dodgers: Trevor Bauer’s ‘Athletic’ tweet proves he learned nothing

The Los Angeles Dodgers waited out Trevor Bauer’s free agent market this offseason, even though we’re not sure how much leverage they gained or money they saved when all was said and done.

From the time his Cincinnati Reds flamed out of the MLB Playoffs, the trail of dollar signs and sunshine connected him to Los Angeles, making him a natural fit for either the Angels or Dodgers.

Add in the baked-in controversy that dogged him during his public evaluation period, and the myriad unanswered-for online mobs he drummed up over the past few years, and only the Mets ultimately joined the extremely small list of potential suitors.

Bauer ended that pursuit himself early this past week with one final troll, an ill-equipped online store.

The Mets (or Bauer’s camp, per rumors?) blinked last, weeks after the Angels backed out, leaving the Dodgers as the sole party still remaining in the conversation.

But just because they answered the question of, “Will they get him?” does not mean the questions ceased when the contract’s ink dried. With a social climate tightening firmly against the discourse that Bauer’s seemed to conduct over the past several years in an orchestra of online harassment, why would Los Angeles add a detrimental piece to a clubhouse that just proved it has the perfect blend of chemistry to win a World Series?

Especially after said chemistry was weakened by the departure of Kiké Hernández and Joc Pederson?

Bauer devoted a large chunk of his introductory press conference in Los Angeles this past week to attempting to address the allegations, and he did so mainly by spitting generic statements about his personal growth, which we were forced to take his word on.

“All the conversations I’ve had with people across all walks of life over the last couple of years and all the things I’ve learned — I can say that I have learned from those,” Bauer said after being presented with his No. 27 jersey during a virtual news conference from Dodger Stadium. “I’ve spent a lot of time talking to other people to try to understand other perspectives, and I’m doing my best to be better, as I do in all walks of my life. I don’t think that it makes any sense to dive into specific issues in this forum, but I am committed to being better on social media, being better on the field, being better in the clubhouse, being better in life in general.”

Or we didn’t have to believe Bauer, because he gave us every reason not to the very next day.

This new and improved Bauer couldn’t keep himself settled for even 24 hours after Molly Knight of The Athletic questioned his accountability, instead attempting to dismiss the outlet as “Fake News” for raising legitimate questions.

Sounds like a changed man to me!

Knight, hardly the only reporter to question his character in the wake of the press conference ( Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times, for instance), was the only prominent female Angelino reporter to do so. Huh. Seems relevant.

Dodgers starter Trevor Bauer picked a fight with The Athletic on Friday.

Judging by Bauer’s tweet — which came the very next day after his press conference sparked further debate about the content of his character — the righty’s experiences have taught him next to nothing.

Except that the world, at large, responds well to platitudes. And that speaking exactly like twice-impeached former President Donald Trump on Twitter is very cool to a certain segment of the population!

Of course, in the immediate aftermath of that lone, immaturely-voiced message that walked back his mid-week thesis statement, Bauer then advocated for his agent Rachel Luba on behalf of women in the sports world in general.

Reading Bauer’s missives is a recipe for whiplash. Oh, look over here, he’s promoting women in sports business! Ah, never mind, now he’s discounting the experiences of victims. My neck hurts.

We don’t know what to make of Bauer, but importantly, neither does Bauer. One minute, he’s endorsing girl power, using his close compatriot as a guide toward respecting femininity.

The next, he’s back to discounting the concerns of a prominent woman in the Los Angeles sports scene, dismissing her skepticism as petty gossip.

Whether you endorse Bauer’s behavior or not, you can’t pretend at this point that he’s any different a man on Saturday as he was last week, or in 2019, or at the exact second he pressed “send” on his very first tweet.

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