Fastball

Former Cy Young Winner Dealing with Rare Sickness While Pitching in Mexico

Trevor Bauer, who has not been able to get back to Major League Baseball, has contracted a case of a serious illness while playing in the Mexican League.

Brady Farkas

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in 2021.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in 2021. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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According to a report put out on Thursday, former National League Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer has contracted Cholera while pitching in the Mexican League.

Per Christopher Boan on social media:

Some MLB news I never expected to break: A source in Trevor Bauer's camp told me last night that he's dealing with what the source believed was a case of cholera in Mexico.

Cholera is not something that we hear much about in the United States but it absolutely can be serious.

Per the World Health Organization:

  • Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease that can kill within hours if left untreated.
  • Cholera is a disease of poverty affecting people with inadequate access to safe water and basic sanitation.
  • Conflict, unplanned urbanization and climate change all increase the risk of cholera.
  • Researchers have estimated that each year there are 1.3 to 4.0 million cases of cholera, and 21 000 to 143 000 deaths worldwide due to cholera (1).
  • Most of those infected have no or mild symptoms and can be successfully treated with oral rehydration solution.

Despite still being a very good pitcher, Bauer is playing in Mexico because he was suspended in 2021 over a domestic violence allegation. He ended up missing 182 games in total between 2021 and 2022. Teams likely don't want to take the PR hit on signing him, despite the fact that he was never charged with a crime and the credibility of some of his accusers has come into question.

Bauer has spent parts of 10 years in the big leagues with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds and Dodgers. He won the Cy Young with the Reds in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Lifetime, he's 83-79 with a 3.79 ERA.

In Mexico this season, he was named an All-Star and is currently 10-0 with a 1.78 ERA. He has struck out 117 batters in 81.0 innings.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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