Dodgers rumors: Insider reiterates Trevor Bauer likely won’t play in MLB again

The final incoming nail in Trevor Bauer’s playing career coffin will be for him to lose his appeal to Major League Baseball and for the Los Angeles Dodgers to release him. Unfortunately, once again, the team needs to wait out the proceedings before officially exiling the right-hander.

As it stands, the Dodgers are likely to save $65 million if Bauer’s two-year suspension is upheld, since it’ll nullify both his 2022 and 2023 salaries. His three-year deal, assuming he picked up all his options, was set to expire after the 2023 season.

Bauer’s suspension will take him well into his next free agency endeavor, but he might remain of that status for the rest of time (at least as it concerns MLB).

Leading up to the league’s final decision as the investigation into Bauer’s sexual assault allegations took place, many baseball insiders weighed in on his future in the sport and even polled current/former executives as well as scouts and players.

Jeff Passan’s eye-opening piece from a few months ago revealed that many of those polled believed Bauer wouldn’t throw another pitch in MLB again. This week, another MLB insider echoed that sentiment to further drive the point home following the suspension news. Here’s the latest from Jon Heyman of the New York Post:

Trevor Bauer isn’t expected to pitch for the Dodgers — or in MLB — ever again

Bauer’s crusade to remain relevant and shift the narrative in his favor has largely failed. You’ve seen his desperate attempts, too. His “return” to social media was cringey. His “response” to the allegations in a YouTube video titled “THE TRUTH” felt like a bit on Alex Jones radio. Then he began paying minor-league players $2,500 for “doing cool sh-t.”

But nothing’s changed. Commissioner Rob Manfred came down with the longest non-lifetime ban in MLB history, all the while Bauer remained scorned in the public eye despite the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office not pursuing criminal charges against him.

It’s not known for sure, but it’s possible the third woman coming forward to allege more acts of sexual assault against Bauer during the league’s investigation played a big role in Manfred’s verdict. Bauer continues to deny everything, claiming this is some sort of effort to defame him despite the fact there’s never been a player implicated this extensively in multiple cases since MLB instituted its Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. Even before then, there’s arguably never been as high-profile, disturbing a situation as this.

MLB clearly found sufficient evidence to remove Bauer from the workplace even if he couldn’t be punished in the court of law, and it’s likely going to cost him his career if we’re to listen to some of the most influential insiders in the sport.

Dodgers’ financial implications after MLB suspends Trevor Bauer into 2024

The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a lot of money freed up after MLB suspended Trevor Bauer into the 2024 season. Wild stuff.