What did Dodgers president Dan Kasten say about the decision to release Trevor Bauer?
Following a highly publicized case, the franchise finally broke its silence on the controversial situation surrounding the release of the award-winning pitcher.
Though the scenario caused a great deal of debate, it would seem that the franchise itself had no doubts or hesitation when it came to the decision to release the player, regardless of what it will cost going forward.
Los Angeles Dodgers clear air on Trevor Bauer
In a statement from Los Angeles Dodgers president and CEO, Stan Kasten, the franchise finally addressed the decision to release the controversial pitcher, Trevor Bauer. Speaking with the media on Wednesday, Kasten opened up about the decision-making process itself. “You know, this wasn’t unanimous out in the real world – among fans, among the media or whatnot,” Kasten told a small group of local reporters Wednesday. “But the decision we reached was unanimous among the people that are charged with having to make this decision.”
You will recall of course, that Major League Baseball suspended Bauer for 324 games in April of 2022 for violating the domestic violence policy. The former Cy-Young winner was then reinstated on December 22nd by an independent arbitrator, after serving 194 games of his ban. As per protocols, the Dodgers had two weeks to decide whether they would return him to their roster or release him.
Something to consider about the Trevor Bauer vs Dodgers situation
Interestingly enough, Bauer himself actually claimed that the club wanted him to return this year, something which seems to go against the stance that the franchise has taken.
“I’m not going to get into contradicting or agreeing with anything about what was supposed to be a private conversation. I’ll just say within a very short time we came back and made our decision. I think that speaks for itself. I don’t want to talk about what went on, what was discussed, what wasn’t discussed or who was there,” Kasten said. “But we did hear from him. I thought it was the right thing to do. I’m happy that we did it, along with everything else that we did, to reach the best decision that we could. I stand by our decision. I’m very comfortable with it.” Worth noting, is the fact that the Dodgers will now be responsible for paying approximately $22.5 million of his $32 million salary for 2023. Bauer is now a free agent.