Is MLB preventing Trevor Bauer from signing with a new team? Former pitcher cites reasons for not being able to play in the league

Trevor Bauer's relationship with MLB, and particularly commissioner Rob Manfred, has been complicated, at best. On Tuesday, the former Cy Young Award winner suggested that it was the commissioner's office, rather than individual teams, who are responsible for his protracted absence from a league he once dominated.

In a reply to a fan on X/Twitter earlier this week, Bauer claimed:

"Well one team told us it’s not their decision, it’s an mlb decision. One team told me I was “too expensive” even though I offered to play for minimum, another team told us they have covered some stuff up in the past that they don’t want the media digging into to find out about."

In June 2021, Bauer had an 8-5 record with a 2.59 ERA in seventeen starts for the LA Dodgers when some accusations surfaced. A woman claimed that the pitcher assaulted her during a sexual encounter that began as consensual.

Bauer was placed on administrative leave, and nearly a year later, he was suspended for 194 games. Although his ban expired before the 2023 season, Bauer opted to play in Japan and inked a one-year deal with the Yokohama BayStars of NPB.

No criminal charges were ever laid against Trevor Bauer and his accuser was subsequently found to have acted in bad faith. However, that did not stop teams from turning the other way. Despite being available for the league minimum, no offers have come for Bauer, who won the 2020 NL Cy Young Award as a member of the Cincinnati Reds. Since the beginning of 2024, he has been playing for Mexico's Diablos Rojos.

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Trevor Bauer and Rob Manfred have a long history

Ever since Rob Manfred assumed his role as MLB's top executive in 2015, Bauer has consistently taken aim at the commissioner for everything from uniform rules to changing the playoff format. In late 2019, when Manfred flirted with the idea of severing ties with MiLB, Bauer tweeted:

"(Manfred) is trying to ruin baseball at all levels and isn't discriminating."

Seeing as though Manfred was one of the most ardent voices in favor of Trevor Bauer's suspension, perhaps there is indeed more to the dynamic between the two men than meets the eye.