Dodgers: 3 players who definitely won’t be back in 2022

2. Trevor Bauer

Trevor Bauer has returned to social media, but you can bet that’ll be the greatest extent to which you hear or see from the pitcher again. ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan talked to over 20 executives and players, both current and former, all of whom indicated we’ll never see Bauer play in Major League Baseball ever again.

The Dodgers played their part too in doing away with Bauer, even though they hesitated in keeping him off the field when the heinous sexual assault allegations broke back in late June. Shortly after that, he was placed on administrative leave, had all of his merchandise pulled from the Dodgers’ official team stores, and was removed from the team’s promotional calendar six weeks before he was supposed to have his bobblehead night.

The organization made it a point to swiftly erase Bauer during the 2021 season to keep the distractions at a minimum and it’s safe to say they succeeded. Bauer was a mere footnote on the Dodgers’ year as a whole, which is insane because all of this happened just three months ago. It feels like it’s been over a year.

Once we learn more about the findings of the Pasadena Police Department’s investigation, it’s possible the Dodgers may be able to terminate Bauer’s contract and fully be rid of him once and for all. If not, however, we’re sure the organization will eat his salary for the next couple years and be totally content with him never stepping foot on the field again … because that would be a PR disaster. Did you not see how much of a disaster it was when the team was considering pitching him on July 4 against the Nationals a few days after the allegations came to light?

Bauer was accused of sexual assault by a second woman who stepped forward a few months ago, which allegedly occurred in Ohio during his 2020 season with the Cincinnati Reds. At best, Bauer will be on the 2022 payroll due to some nonsense technicalities that don’t allow the team to void his contract.

But he will not be pitching or coming anywhere near the Dodgers in 2022.

1. Corey Seager

Call it a hot take, but do you see the Dodgers breaking the bank for Seager, who fell flat on his face in the 2021 postseason and was once again held back by injuries? Since his first full season back in 2016, the 27-year-old has appeared in 609 out of a possible 870 games.

We’re aware he was the NLCS and World Series MVP back in 2020, but Seager is a client of Scott Boras. The shortstop will not be taking any sort of discount … and we think the Dodgers made that somewhat clear when they acquired Trea Turner at the trade deadline.

And if they can’t get off Bauer’s contract, it’s hard to believe they’ll pay close to $30 million per season for Seager when they also have to figure out what to do with Kershaw, Scherzer, Taylor, Jansen, Kelly, Corey Knebel and Albert Pujols.

After all, though Seager is beloved by the fans, the Dodgers won 106 games when he missed 67 this year. They won 92 and the division when he played in only 26 games back in 2018. We’re not saying Seager isn’t integral to this team achieving its ceiling … we’re just saying the Dodgers have been just fine making do.

Toss Turner at shortstop, put Lux at second, and bring back Taylor, which will help out with the infield versatility should something happen. Don’t forget, Seager’s “projected” to likely make a move to third base within the next few years. That might be in the cards in LA, especially with Justin Turner’s career coinciding with that timeline, but, again, with others to prioritize, we feel Seager might be enticed by an opportunity elsewhere should somebody offer more money, while the Dodgers might not want to get into a bidding war and shell out another mammoth contract to someone who’s had trouble staying on the field and may not be a shortstop for the remainder of his career.

Whenever players of Seager’s caliber hit the open market, it’s not a good sign for the incumbent team. As a Boras client, the likelihood of an extension was never high, but the best chance of it happening was with a team like the Dodgers, who print money and seemingly have unlimited resources.

Brace for the worst. Seager will not be a Dodger in 2022.

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