Dodgers executive unwilling to talk about hypotheticals of Trevor Bauer's chances of returning to the fold

After what seemed like forever, Trevor Bauer and the Los Angeles Dodgers saga has finally taken a backseat, with the organization releasing their embattled pitcher.

"The Dodgers have officially released Trevor Bauer, the team announced." - FOX Sports:MLB, Twitter

The Dodgers announced in the first week of the new year that they were cutting ties with the former Cy Young awardee, who was previously accused of sexual assault and handed an unprecedented suspension for his actions. He has not made it back into the fray since then.

While the Dodgers fully cooperated with MLB's investigation every step of the way, the organization stood by its decision to bid adieu to Bauer. They said that the decision to release him was unanimous among the people who mattered.

Los Angeles Dodgers president Stan Kasten addressed the media last night for the first time since his departure, backing the board's decision.

"Dodgers execs made their first comments since releasing Trevor Bauer today. More coming, but among them: Club pres. Stan Kasten said "we feel we did make the right decision," and releasing him was "unanimous among the people that are charged with having to make this decision," - Fabian Ardaya, Twitter

When quizzed about whether there were any pre-set conditions under which Bauer could have returned to the fold with the Dodgers, Kasten dismissed such notions, declaring that he didn't want to speculate on what could have been.

“I don’t want to talk about hypotheticals. I won’t talk about hypotheticals,” Kasten said. “Look – we made our decision. We’ll live or die with whatever anyone thinks about it. But we are very comfortable with the decision and the process that we utilized to get there.”

Bauer, who hasn't played since the allegations surfaced and MLB began investigating, will now be placed on the free agency list. While it's still unclear if anybody will draft Bauer, his activities in the market will be closely monitored by a host of baseball fans and pundits.

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A look back at Trevor Bauer's last season in MLB

Following an impressive rise in the league with the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds, and coming off a Cy Young-winning 2020 season, Bauer was signed by the Dodgers on a three-year, $102 million contract.

Bauer had played 17 games with the organization before he was placed on administrative leave. He posted a 2.59 ERA while recording 137 strikeouts during that time.