Dodgers might only be on the hook for Trevor Bauer’s 2023 salary

We really hate to be talking about the financial side of Trevor Bauer’s horrific off-the-field accusations, but if he’s charged or found guilty, he certainly doesn’t deserve his record-setting salary for 2022 and the Los Angeles Dodgers (or anybody else) shouldn’t be paying it.

Earlier in the offseason, Bauer opted in to his $45 million salary for next season, which was a no-brainer because otherwise he would’ve been leaving over $60 million on the table, and he surely wasn’t going to do that mired in multiple investigations.

Though discussing Bauer through a baseball lens now feels misguided, it’s worth nothing because his alleged actions, according to multiple insiders, will likely cost him the entire 2022 season at the very least.

Not only will this hopefully end the dark cloud hanging over the Dodgers, but it could save them that $45 million against the luxury tax and allow them to spend more liberally in free agency. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal recently spoke on this, but now USA Today’s Bob Nightengale has put forth his insight.

Bob Nightengale believes Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer will be suspended for 2022.

Per Nightengale (subscription required), Bauer will likely not see the field in 2022:

"“Certainly, he has thrown his last pitch for the Dodgers. He also won’t throw a single pitch in a major-league game for anyone in 2022. MLB still is awaiting word from the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office investigating sexual assault allegations against him. Once the findings are revealed, MLB will call Bauer in for questioning, present its case and suspend him for the entire 2022 season.“He will not be paid his $45 million, but the Dodgers will remain on the hook for $17 million in 2023 when they release him. The big question is whether any team will give him another chance?”"

That’s quite the assertion, especially since Rosenthal had wondered if MLB would make Bauer’s likely suspension retroactive to June 2021, which is when he was placed on administrative leave after the alleged victim came forward with her claims of sexual assault.

For the sake of this exercise, let’s say Bauer is booted for 2022. That relieves the Dodgers of his $45 million, but it doesn’t void the contract, which is an entirely different process that will be a longer, drawn out process. The means he’ll still be getting his $17 million for the 2023 season, but will likely be released. Nightengale posed the possibility of another team taking a chance on him, but we’d bet that won’t even be a consideration for anyone.

At this point, the Dodgers will be grateful to only pay $57 million of his $103 million contract when you take into account all the awful publicity and deserved criticism the franchise received for signing him in the first place (remember, there was a trail of evidence suggesting Bauer’s character was a big question mark).

Hopefully the next bit of information we receive is a definitive development on his case as the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office prepares its findings.

MLB insider talks financial implications for Dodgers-Trevor Bauer situation

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in a predicament with Trevor Bauer and we're not sure when it's going to end. It's not in their favor, either.