Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman assured the club did their due diligence prior to signing Trevor Bauer to a three-year, $102 million contract, and expressed confidence he would be a positive presence in the clubhouse and community.
However, Bauer made just 17 starts before being placed on paid administrative leave amid allegations of sexual assault. He remained on the restricted list through the conclusion of the World Series and exercised a $32 million player option for the 2022 season.
The 30-year-old remains under investigation by MLB, but the Pasadena Police Department have long turned over their findings to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.
Despite having Bauer’s case since Aug. 27, the DA has yet to decide whether or not criminal charges will be filed. According to Brit Ghiroli of The Athletic, that won’t come until January at the earliest:
Multiple sources indicated Bauer’s case won’t be decided one way or the other until at least January and it has little, if anything, to do with the holiday. … The only comment the DA’s office will give is the case remains “under review.”
To this point, all that has been resolved with Bauer’s case was Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman dismissing a temporary restraining order that had been filed.
Should the District Attorney elect to not press charges against Bauer, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred still will have the authority to levy a suspension that many believe is inevitable.
Even with the ongoing uncertainty, the Dodgers recently paid Bauer a $20 million lump sum, per terms of his contract.
Bauer investigation impacting Dodgers in free agency
A slew of free agent signings were completed prior to the MLB lockout beginning this month, and for the Dodgers it amounted to Max Scherzer and Corey Seager inking lucrative contracts elsewhere.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman recently admitted the lack of clarity surrounding Bauer affected the club to some degree.
It’s presumed that likely played a role in the Dodgers being hesitant to potentially match contracts presented to Seager and Scherzer.
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