Former Cy Young Trevor Bauer Makes Bold Claim After Besting Los Angeles Dodgers Minor Leaguers

Trevor Bauer, who latched on with a Japanese travel team at Spring Training, shut down Los Angeles Dodgers minor leaguers and said he was one of the best pitchers in the world.
Former Cy Young Trevor Bauer Makes Bold Claim After Besting Los Angeles Dodgers Minor Leaguers
Former Cy Young Trevor Bauer Makes Bold Claim After Besting Los Angeles Dodgers Minor Leaguers /
In this story:

A year after the Los Angeles Dodgers officially cut ties with starting pitcher Trevor Bauer, the right-hander got a chance to put his stuff on display against his former team – well, kind of.

Bauer signed with an independent travel team, Asian Breeze, last Thursday, three days before they were scheduled to play the Dodgers. However, Los Angeles had a Cactus League game later in the afternoon, so the Breeze went against a handful of Dodgers minor leaguers in a back-field game at Camelback Ranch instead.

Regardless of the competition, Bauer thrived in his first appearance on U.S. soil in nearly three years, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

"I'm a better pitcher than I was last time people here saw me," Bauer told reporters after the game. "Hopefully, today reminded them that I'm still an elite pitcher. If not, that's fine, too."

Bauer went one step further in a separate, even bolder quote, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

“I just stay ready,’’ Bauer said, “and maybe people somehow will remember that I'm still one of the best pitchers in the world.’’

Bauer, 34, hasn't faced MLB competition since 2021, when he was accused of sexual assault. The right-hander was placed on leave for the remainder of the season and eventually suspended for all of 2022.

Even after his suspension was shortened and lifted at the start of 2023, the Dodgers released Bauer as he was entering the final season of his three-year, $102 million contract. He wound up signing with the Yokohama DeNa BayStars of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.

One of Bauer’s several cases was settled in the fall with no money changing hands, which spurred the righty to officially pursue a comeback in MLB. As of early February, however, Bauer had not earned a contract offer from any of the league's 30 clubs.

Across his 10 seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers, Bauer went 83-69 with a 3.79 ERA, 1.243 WHIP, 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings and a 21.1 WAR.

Bauer was peaking right before he was exiled by the league, going 36-28 with a 3.07 ERA, 1.095 WHIP, 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings and a 13.5 WAR from 2018 to 2021. He won the NL Cy Young with the Reds in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, two years after finishing sixth in AL Cy Young voting as a member of the Indians.

During his time in Japan, Bauer went 11-4 with a 2.59 ERA, 1.130 WHIP and 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

It remains to be seen what impact Bauer's latest performance will have on his MLB comeback attempt.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.

Check out more Los Angeles Dodgers coverage at Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Inside the Dodgers.


Published
Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.