Dodgers officially release Trevor Bauer

January 12 Update: Bauer has officially been released by the Dodgers. They couldn’t find a trade partner, and the pitcher is now a free agent. He is eligible to sign with any team for the vet minimum.

The Los Angeles Dodgers officially designated right-handed pitcher Trevor Bauer for assignment on Friday with a plan to release him. The move comes just two weeks after an independent arbitrator reduced Bauer’s record 324-game suspension to 194 for violation of the league’s domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy, officially reinstating him into the league.

As a result, the pitcher became immediately eligible to play and the Dodgers had until January 6 to make a decision over whether to keep him or to release him. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the organization will eat $22.5 million in Bauer’s salary and any team can pay him the $720,000 league minimum to play upon completion of the suspension. The Dodgers released this statement on Friday:

After winning the 2020 Cy Young with the Cincinnati Reds, Bauer signed a three-year, $102 million contract with the Dodgers prior to the 2021 season. That June, the Pasadena Police Department confirmed that Bauer was under investigation for an alleged sexual allegation that occurred earlier in the year and the victim was granted a temporary domestic violence restraining order. Shortly afterwards, he was placed on administrative while the MLB conducted an internal investigation and on April 29, 2022, commissioner Rob Manfred officially announced Bauer’s suspension for the equivalent of two full seasons.