Editors’ note: This story contains graphic accounts of domestic violence and sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault or domestic violence, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or the Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
An independent arbitrator has reduced Dodgers righthander Trevor Bauer’s 324-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy to 194 games, according to someone familiar with the decision. The ruling essentially gives Bauer credit for time served—he has not pitched since June 2021 while on administrative leave and then suspended—and reinstates him immediately. The suspension remains the longest for domestic violence in league history. (The previous record was a one-season ban of free-agent pitcher Sam Dyson in March ’21.) Martin F. Scheinman, an attorney who has served as the league and union’s neutral arbitrator since ’21, also docked Bauer’s pay for the first 50 games of the ’23 season.
After the decision was made Thursday, the league issued a statement that read, in part, “While we believe a longer suspension was warranted, MLB will abide by the neutral arbitrator’s decision, which upholds baseball’s longest-ever active player suspension for sexual assault or domestic violence. We understand this process was difficult for the witnesses involved and we thank them for their participation. Due to the collectively bargained confidentiality provisions of the joint program, we are unable to provide further details at this time.” In a statement, Bauer’s representatives said, “While we are pleased that Mr. Bauer has been reinstated immediately, we disagree that any discipline should have been imposed. That said, Mr. Bauer looks forward to his return to the field, where his goal remains to help his team win a World Series.” The Dodgers, in a statement posted on Twitter, said, “We have just been informed of the arbitrator’s ruling and will comment as soon as practical.” A representative for the players association declined to comment. Los Angeles, which signed Bauer to a three-year, $102 million deal before the 2021 season, owed him $32 million in ’23 before his pay was docked; that figure will now be closer to $22 million. The team has 14 days to activate him or release him.
MLB suspended Bauer in April for two full seasons after a nine-month investigation, spurred when a San Diego woman filed a petition seeking a restraining order against him on June 29, 2021. The woman said he assaulted her during two encounters of rough sex that began as consensual. She said he choked her until she lost consciousness, sodomized her and punched her hard enough that she sought treatment at a hospital. “I felt like my soul left my body, and I was terrified,” the woman said during a hearing in August, according to the Associated Press. Bauer and his representatives have denied the allegations.
The woman was denied the restraining order after the August hearing. The court ultimately found that the woman’s claims were “materially misleading,” and Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman said the only evidence of anything happening while the woman was unconscious was from being “hit on the butt.” In February the L.A. County district attorney’s office announced it would not press charges against Bauer. The joint domestic violence agreement with the players association gives MLB the right to suspend a player even if charges have not been filed.
According to a person familiar with the investigation, the league also looked into allegations made by at least two other women, who The Washington Post reported shared similar accounts about Bauer. He and his representatives have denied those, as well. Authorities did not press charges in either case.
The Post reported that all three women initially participated in the arbitration but that one, in Columbus, Ohio, dropped out this summer, citing “personal and family matters.” The Post also reported that the third woman, who is in Cleveland, “described what she saw as a last-ditch effort by Bauer to embarrass or intimidate her before she testified. She said [his attorney’s] private investigator contacted former acquaintances with no relation to the case to ask about her dating history, including whether she had past relationships with professional athletes.” Bauer has sued the San Diego woman—as well as at least two media outlets that reported on the allegations—for defamation. In July the San Diego woman countersued him, alleging battery and sexual assault. In November, a judge denied Bauer’s petition to dismiss the countersuit.
This is a developing story.
