Trevor BauerThe grievance hearing against Major League Baseball will start May 23, according to ESPN, which confirmed a report by The Athletic.
Bauer was given a 324-game suspension by MLB on April 29. He was suspended for violating MLB's domestic abuse policy. This is twice the length of the longest suspension since August 2015. Bauer, who has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual assault against him by three women, was the first player to appeal a suspension.
Bauer released a statement saying that he denies committing any violation to the league's domestic violence or sexual assault policy. “I appeal the action and expect to prevail. As we did throughout the process, I and my representatives respect the confidentiality of this proceeding.”
Bauer, 31, was accused by a San Diego woman of sexual assault. She sought a restraining or order. Bauer basically claimed that he had taken consensual raw sex too far during two encounters in April and May last year. A L.A. court denied the woman a permanent restraint order in August and the L.A. County District Attorney's Office declined criminal charges against Bauer for February.
The Washington Post published a interview with a woman living in Columbus, Ohio. She accused Bauer of repeatedly choking her unconscious during a relationship that lasted for years. After another Ohio woman, who filed a temporary restraining Order against Bauer in June 2020, and also accused Bauer of assault, she became the third woman to accuse Bauer.
MLB has the right to suspend players without any criminal conviction. However, it did not release the results of its investigation nor specify the number of accusers it had spoken with during the process.
The grievance hearing will follow the same procedures as those for other cases, with the exception of Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez's suspensions from PED. Marty Scheinman (a third-party arbitrator) will review the findings. The hearing could have witnesses testify, and could last for several months. The arbitrator will decide if Bauer's suspension is to be upheld, denied, or reduced.
In February 2021, the Dodgers signed Bauer to an $82 million, three-year contract. This was just after he won the National League Cy Young Award in his time as a member. Cincinnati RedsDuring the COVID-19-shortened 2020 seasons. He was put on administrative leave halfway through his first year and continued there until the league suspended him three weeks later.
The suspension of Bauer was not agreed to by him. Therefore, administrative leave games won't count towards his time served. Bauer can't return to the team until the 19th game in the 2024 season, if the suspension is not upheld. Bauer will be on the restricted list during his suspension. This means that he would not be allowed pitch in another country. The Dodgers would be able to save approximately $60 million under his current suspension.
