There was a time when Trevor Bauer was considered one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball. After winning the NL Cy Young in 2020 with the Cincinnati Reds, Bauer appeared to be at the pinnacle of his career.
After signing a three-year, $102 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers following his magical season with the Reds, he’d end up making just 17 more starts in the MLB after being accused of assault in June of 2021.
Bauer was placed on administrative leave in July before the league decided to suspend the pitcher for 324 games, or two full seasons without pay. An arbitrator would later reduce Bauer’s suspension to 194 games while reinstating him immediately, allowing him to return to the field.
Except, the Dodgers released Bauer instead, allowing the former All-Star to once again become a free agent, where all 30 MLB teams had a chance to negotiate with him. Two months after becoming a free agent, Bauer signed a contract, but it wasn’t with an MLB team.
Bauer landed an incentive-based one-year, $4 million contract in Japan with the Nippon Professional League’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars. While the NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan, it’s not the same level of competition as the MLB.
Yet, Bauer hadn’t pitched professionally since June 28, 2021, before taking the mound with his new teammates on May 3, 2023. Needless to say, the 32-year-old is a bit rusty.
After allowing seven runs in two innings during his last outing, Bauer has been sent down to the minor leagues for what the BayStars are calling an “adjustment start.” The expectation is that if Bauer quickly regains his form and has a good outing, signs point to him making his next start back with the BayStars at the top level of play.
Related: What the chaotic, upside-down start to MLB season means for the way it will finish