Trevor Bauer reportedly won’t face criminal sexual assault charges

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer’s sexual assault case is nearing the end now that the LA district attorney’s office has come to a conclusion.

According to a report from TMZ, Bauer won’t face any criminal sexual assault charges stemming from an alleged incident with a woman last year. According to her testimony, Bauer allegedly punched and choke the woman while she was unconscious during sex, among other disturbing details.

According to the LA Times, prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges due to “insufficient evidence.” Bauer could still face civil charges from his accuser, and it’s worth wondering if the additional accuser from Ohio who came forward after these allegations will play a potential role.

Throughout the case, Bauer and his representation claimed the encounter was nothing more than consensual rough sex. Bauer’s lawyers went as far to publicly release text messages between the two parties, which was problematic for a multitude of reasons.

Bauer, with support of his “agent” Rachel Luba, has claimed innocence ever since the allegations forced him onto MLB’s administrative leave list. He hasn’t pitched since the end of June.

Dodgers: Trevor Bauer won’t face criminal charges for sexual encounter

Here’s the latest from TMZ:

"“Trevor Bauer will NOT face any criminal charges for allegedly punching and choking a woman unconscious during sex, TMZ Sports has learned.“We’re also told the decision was made in part because of texts messages between the accuser and Bauer … where she indicated she was looking for rough sex.”"

While Bauer’s camp might view this as a “victory,” MLB still has a say on the matter, and the league’s investigation is reportedly still ongoing.

The next step here is determining the 31-year-old’s status for the 2022 season. Prior to the case even reaching this point, multiple esteemed baseball insiders believed that Bauer would be suspended for all of 2022 with or without being hit with charges or being found guilty. MLB reserves the right to handle criminal cases internally regardless of the outcome in the court system.

If Bauer’s suspended for all of 2022, the Dodgers won’t have to pay his $45 million salary. If he’s not, they’ll face a complicated situation in regard to bringing him back to the team. Not only would it be troubling from an image perspective, but reports from last season suggested most of his teammates wanted him gone. In all likelihood, if Bauer is eligible to return, the Dodgers might seek an avenue to void his contract, which will be another long, drawn out saga with the legal system having a stranglehold over the situation.

The Dodgers have already taken the necessary steps, though. Shortly after Bauer was exiled for the season, they removed all of his gear from the official team shops and canceled his promotional bobblehead night. Recently, Bauer removed the Dodgers from his social media bios. So it looks like we’ll be heading down a new, complicated road in the not-too-distant future.

Trevor Bauer’s latest social media activity foreshadows fate for 2022 with Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer has removed any mention of the team from both his Twitter and Instagram bios. What does this mean for 2022?