Bauer won't face criminal charges in LA

LOS ANGELES – Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer will not face any criminal charges on sexual assault accusations filed against him in July, the Los Angeles County District Attorney announced on Tuesday.

The right-hander is still being separately investigated by Major League Baseball. Under the joint domestic violence policy agreed upon by MLB and the MLB Players Association, the Commissioner's Office has the ability to suspend a player even if he has not been charged or convicted.

“MLB’s investigation is ongoing, and we will comment further at the appropriate time,” MLB said in a statement.

The Dodgers released a similar statement: “MLB is continuing their investigation. We will have no further comment until it concludes.”

There have been multiple instances of players receiving a suspension under the joint domestic violence policy even after criminal charges were dropped. One such example came in August 2019 when Bauer’s teammate, Julio Urías, was suspended 20 games after a May incident when he was arrested for investigation of possible misdemeanor domestic battery. Urías accepted the discipline without appeal.

After winning the National League Cy Young Award in 2020, Bauer signed a lucrative three-year, $102 million deal with the Dodgers last offseason, making him the highest-paid pitcher in the Majors at the time of the agreement.

Bauer went 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA in 17 starts in 2021 before being placed on paid administrative leave on July 2 due to the ongoing investigation. Bauer missed the remainder of the season. He’s scheduled to make over $35 million in 2022.