Oh, I didn’t hear the conversations and calculations that led to the Dodgers’ decision to appoint Trevor Bauer on Friday night.
How many women deserve one Cy Young Award-winning pitcher? Do the number of sexual assault accusations outweigh one win over an exchange?
ESPN reports that Dodgers executives took their players’ pulses last week to see how bad it would be to get Bauer back after a record-breaking suspension for domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse in the league. I asked what happened. policy.
It was a joke and no team should touch Bauer when he hits the open market. But sadly, the Dodgers’ apparent moral weakness shows that the teams out there can do very well.
First, the facts: Bauer has been accused by three women, but on record only attempted to file charges against one, which the Los Angeles County District Attorney rejected due to lack of evidence. Records obtained by The Washington Post show the women’s claims, one from California and two from Ohio, are similar.
Bauer denied the accusations, saying that all “rogue” acts were entirely consensual and that it was part of a blackmail scheme. We got records that admitted hitting him.He denied anything had happened before.The woman went to the hospital.)
There are many things we don’t know. But there are important things we must do. Baseball’s thorough investigation of the event found that Bauer’s actions required unprecedented condemnation.
His first 324-game suspension was the longest served under the league’s domestic violence policy. cited a survey.
So where does that leave this sport? The Dodgers can trade Bauer by 2 p.m. Thursday, and if that doesn’t happen, the team can acquire him for as low as $720,000, a major league minimum. You get his $22.5 million left on the deal. he is still paid. many. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he should play.
Let’s be real — he’s a talented pitcher and teams will probably be tempted. But before someone says you shouldn’t end your career on suspicion alone, it’s important to remember that playing this sport for millions of dollars is a privilege, not a right.
It’s also important to think about the pedestals that place women, consent, and these mortal men who can throw the ball with great precision and with great force, the message it sends.
Baseball’s track record for domestic violence has been spotty at best, with players on long-term suspensions more likely to be bounced out of the sport for poor play rather than bad character. Think Domingo German, who slapped his girlfriend in a room full of teammates in 2019 and made 14 starts for the Yankees last year, Aroldis Chapman, who allegedly choked his girlfriend, or Jose Reyes, who was arrested I can. He returned from suspension, essentially going on a mid-season goodbye tour with the Mets.
This is not to say that people shouldn’t get second chances. Nor am I saying that mistakes make a person irreparable.
What we’re saying is that Baseball has seen enough in its investigation to say that Bauer violated its domestic violence policy in an egregious way. Take the opportunity to speak up and say that certain behaviors are unacceptable no matter how good a player you are.
Bauer’s denials abound. In the past, he has taken offense on social media. Over the years, he has repeatedly used Twitter as a platform to ridicule those who disagree with him, often women. .
These are not the actions of a man who feels remorse for what led to his suspension.Moreover, they are the actions of a man who brings out the worst of the fans who see him as a hero with his lack of repentance.
That’s not what baseball needs.
That’s not what baseball should encourage.
Forget the Dodgers and their lengthy deliberations. The math is easy if the main goal is to do the right thing.
Laura Albanese is a general sports reporter. She joined Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
