Trevor Bauer is done for the 2021 season as expected. The announcement was made official on Friday.
MLB and the MLBPA jointly agreed to extend Bauer’s paid administrative leave through the end of the 2021 season.
Bauer recently scored a legal victory when his accuser’s request for a restraining order against the pitcher was denied. However, the case now resides with the district attorney, who will decide whether to pursue charges against Bauer.
As his case is still pending, the sides decided it would be best to continue having him on leave.
Bauer’s agents issued a statement regarding the news.
“Today Mr. Bauer agreed to extend his administrative leave through the playoffs in a measure of good faith and in an effort to minimize any distraction to the Dodgers organization and his teammates. He continues to cooperate with the MLB investigation and refute the baseless allegations against him.
“Again, by definition administrative leave is neither a disciplinary action nor does it in any way reflect a finding in the league’s investigation,” Bauer’s agents said.
In order to be eligible for the postseason, a player has to be on an active roster by Aug. 31. Though he is not on the active roster, Bauer would have been eligible for the Dodgers’ postseason due to being on paid administrative leave. However, reports have said Dodgers teammates don’t want Bauer back under any circumstance.
The combination of his case being pending and Dodgers players not wanting him back made the decision to keep him on paid leave the most sensical. The question is whether Bauer will be on a team next season. The Dodgers will probably take the offseason to try and get rid of Bauer. But will another team be ready to give him a chance? Maybe in five or six months a team will decide to sign Bauer despite the public relations hit, but it’s possible his absence from MLB will continue into next season.
