Missouri Republican Congressman Eric Burlison is ripping Major League Baseball for shunning pitcher Trevor Bauer and punishing him, the congressman says, for being a Trump supporter.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred suspended Bauer in 2021 over several accusations of domestic violence. Two cases, though, were eventually dismissed, and Bauer was never officially charged by law enforcement over the allegations. Despite the shaky validity of the accusations, Bauer was handed the longest suspension any player has ever received in the Big Leagues, Outkick reported.
Before any proof was offered in any court and before any official charges were even leveled, MLB handed Bauer a massive 321-game suspension for supposedly violating the league’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy.
The suspension was later reduced to 194 games, representing the 2021 and 2022 seasons he missed, thanks to the original suspension. Still, despite that, no charges were filed, and the court cases ended with no serious marks against Bauer. The Los Angeles Dodgers cut him from the team, and no other team has shown any interest in signing him since. This sent Bauer to Japan and Mexico, where he continued playing professionally.
As to the two court cases, one was settled out of court, and the second case fell apart when prosecutors charged the woman who accused him after they found she faked a pregnancy and tried to extort money from the player.
Regardless, Bauer, a Cy Young winner, has been boxed out of U.S. pro baseball for four years. And Rep. Burlison thinks he knows why.
“Mr. Bauer was suspended for 324 games, the longest non-lifetime suspension in the history of the league, despite the fact that the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to pursue criminal charges against him, citing insufficient evidence,” Burlison said in a message to Outkick.
The Congressman slammed the league for turning a 194-game suspension into a lifetime ban. Burlison alleges that Commissioner Manfred has ensured that the ban sticks because Bauer has been a Trump supporter.
“In 2016, Mr. Bauer publicly expressed positive views about then-candidate Donald J. Trump, including comments on social media praising Trump’s campaign rhetoric and outsider status,” Burlison’s said.
“Additionally, Mr. Bauer, in responding to a social media post, noted his belief that disrespecting fellow human beings should not be tolerated, which was taken as an opposition to MLB’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. And lastly, Mr. Bauer made a number of remarks prior to his suspension critical of MLB and specifically you, ranging from expanded playoffs, the marketing of MLB players, to the then refusal of MLB to investigate pitchers using sticky substances,” Burlison added.
“Given the timing and severity of Mr. Bauer’s suspension, it is reasonable to question whether MLB’s actions were influenced more by his political stances and criticisms of [Manfred] and MLB than by the allegations against him, which have since been undermined by judicial review and evidentiary shortcomings,” the congressman exclaimed.
Burlison added, “Bauer remains sidelined—a stark contrast to others who’ve returned to play after serious incidents.”
Bauer has hinted that he has considered legal action against the league for preventing him from continuing his MLB career in the wake of his exoneration and the complete lack of any charges or convictions for any crimes.
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