Trevor Bauer might not be quite the outcast with the Los Angeles Dodgers that he’s been made out to be.
The Dodgers have until Friday to add Bauer to their active roster since his suspension ended on December 22. The National League team has not yet announced their plans for the pitcher, who has not been with the team since going on paid administrative leave in June 2021.
The Los Angeles Times reported in July 2021 that Dodgers players did not want Bauer back. But only six of those players remain on the team entering the 2023 season.
The Dodgers taking this long to announce a decision seems to suggest they are strongly considering all options involving the pitcher, who is owed just over $22 million for the 2023 season.
The LA Times recently conducted a poll asking their readers whether they wanted Bauer back on the Dodgers. There were 19,193 responses. 51.2 percent of fans want the team to keep Bauer, while 48.8 percent want him released.
That’s only a sample of newspaper-reading fans, and it does not take into account the millions of other Dodgers fans around the world. But the poll results show how divided one portion of the fanbase is over Bauer.
If the Dodgers release Bauer, he would go through waivers. If a team claims Bauer, they would have to assume the money he is owed for 2023. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, he would become a free agent and eligible to sign with another team.
The Dodgers could also activate Bauer, which would require them dropping someone else from their 40-man roster. They could then attempt to trade Bauer.
Bauer, 31, went 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA over 17 starts in 2021 prior to going on leave over the allegations he faced. He won the Cy Young Award in the shortened 2020 season.
