Bauer still hoping to land with MLB team after serving lengthy suspension
Trevor Bauer is once again pitching against an MLB team as he tries to get on a team’s roster in 2024.
Bauer announced via social media that he’ll be facing the New York Yankees, but he won’t be playing for the Asian Breeze, the independent team based out of Japan that he previously pitched with against Los Angeles Dodgers minor leaguers – his first pitching appearance in the United States in over three years.
This time, Bauer will be playing for the Diablos Rojos, a Mexican team, in a Sunday exhibition against the Yankees on March 24.
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Trevor Bauer of the Los Angeles Dodgers warms up before the game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on April 13, 2021. (Harry How/Getty Images)
But it won’t be a one-and-done situation for Bauer, who agreed to play five more games for the Diablos as his own version of spring training.
"I’ll be pitching against the @Yankees on March 24 as a member of the @diablosrojosmx," Bauer wrote on X. "I’ve also agreed to pitch 5 games for the Diablos between April 11 and May 8 in lieu of a traditional spring training period as it’s the best way for me to stay ready to pitch. This will help me stay in game shape and I’ll be able to join a rotation immediately if or when an MLB offer comes. Hope to see you on Sunday and can’t wait to show y’all what Mexican baseball is all about!"
The Yankees will be in split-squad exhibition games in Mexico City this Saturday and Sunday.
The 33-year-old Bauer has been trying to get back into MLB since serving his 194-day suspension that was originally a record 324 games after a woman accused him of sexual assault, which was settled last fall following the decision by prosecutors not to file charges in February 2022.
Bauer denied all allegations against him, saying the encounters were consensual. The woman eventually sued him after prosecutors didn’t file charges, and Bauer filed a countersuit.
He has noted wanting to play on the league minimum salary for any club to prove he can still be an asset on the mound. During his outing against the Dodgers, the team that cut him following his suspension ending, Bauer topped out at 99 mph several times with his fastball and struck out four of his 12 batters faced.
Trevor Bauer of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts to fans booing him as he leaves the game in the seventh inning against the Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco on May 21, 2021. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
"It's not a money thing," he told reporters after his outing with the Asian Breeze. "I've served my suspension twice over. I've been cleared of everything in the legal system. If you think about it logically, there's really no reason I shouldn't have a job."
"But I don't. So, it is what it is. We'll see how it plays out. I don't want to predict the future. We'll see."
Bauer still feels he’s one of the best pitchers in the world, and he’ll have another chance to prove so against a team that could use some starting pitching with Yankees ace Gerrit Cole expected to miss time to start the season.
After his Dodgers release, Bauer went to Japan to pitch for the Yokohama DeNA Baystars. He owned an impressive 2.59 ERA over 156.2 innings in 24 games at two different levels for the Baystars. Bauer struck out 160 batters and walked just 34.
Trevor Bauer (Abbie Parr/Getty Images/File)
The last time Bauer was on an MLB mound was the 2021 season for the Dodgers, where he pitched to a 2.59 ERA over 17 starts (107.2 innings) with 137 strikeouts.
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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
