Trevor Bauer calls out MLB over Matt Harvey ban

In the fallout of the investigation into the overdose death of former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, Baltimore Orioles pitcher Matt Harvey testified in federal court that he had supplied opioids to Skaggs and as a result was given the equivalent of a slap on the wrist by MLB.

Matt Harvey was suspended by Major League baseball for 60 games. Retroactive.

Trevor Bauer was incensed. The divisive Dodgers pitcher took to social media to question why Harvey was given such a short ban for admitting to criminal activity when Bauer was handed a two-year, 324 game ban that would not be applied retroactively.

The problem with Trevor Bauer’s argument is that he is generally an unlikeable person. He is grating and irritating to most people. He alienated team mates and fans alike, even before the allegations of sexual assault came to light. So it is difficult to summon sympathy for him.

Whatever your personal feelings for Trevor Bauer are, he has a valid point. Baseball has a serious problem in punishments and how they are meted out. They are often arbitrary and based more on personal taste than a legal footing.

In 2015, Aroldis Champman choked his girlfriend and then fired eight shots from a handgun during an argument. He was suspended by MLB for 30 days. Joe Torre, current special assistant to the Commissioner for Baseball, but at the time the Chief Baseball Officer for MLB said, “As awful as that situation is, there are still rights that have to be protected.”

Sam Dyson was accused by an ex-girlfriend of domestic violence, in which he was said to have “bullied her and was violent toward her cat”. He was suspended by the league for the 2021 season.

So, to recap: admitted drug dealing, admitted shooting a pistol during an argument, sixty and thirty day suspensions respectively. Accused of domestic violence and sexual assault, denied in both cases, one and two year bans.

It must be stressed here that after a detailed investigation, Bauer’s accuser was called “materially unreliable” by the police. Bauer has since launched a lawsuit against her and her attorney for defamation.

Quick to stress that declining to prosecute does not equal innocence, the former Cy Young winner’s detractors, and they are legion, reluctantly admit in a society prizing due process above all else, until the moment that a person is found guilty by a court, they are by default innocent.

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Trevor Bauer has launched an appeal against his suspension and this latest publicity will certainly be factored in by MLB.

It is being reported that the Dodgers are likely to end up cutting Bauer, even if he wins his appeal.