Why is Trevor Bauer playing in Japan?

Why did Trevor Bauer go to Japan?

Trevor Bauer is in Japan playing for Yokohama BayStars on a one-year deal

Trevor Bauer signed in Japan.  He agreed to a one-year contract with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and is currently playing in Japan. Why is Trevor Bauer in Japan? We will dig into the reason why Trevor Bauer went to Japan.

Bauer, who has 83 career wins, was suspended on April 29, 2022, for 324 games, the equivalent of two seasons. (The punishment was reduced to 194 games last December.) He missed all games of last year. He was also dismissed from the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was under contract.

The charges against him were dropped due to lack of evidence.

Trevor Bauer was eligible to return to the Dodgers immediately after completing his punishment, but some within the Dodgers were not happy with his past behavior, and he was designed for assignment with $22.5 million remaining on his contract. He then became a free agent (FA) as a team who would contract with him could not be found during the waiver period.
No major league team showed any serious interest in acquiring Bauer after he became a FA.

Why did Trevor Bauer sign in Japan ?

Bauer released one video on his YouTube channel recently. He says he first became interested in Japan when he represented the United States in the 2009 College All-Star Series.

Bauer revealed that he was moved by the sound of the Japanese fans in the stadium who were cheering him and singing for him.  “Playing in front of 55,000 fans in a sold-out Tokyo Dome blew my mind,” and continued, “It was the moment that playing professional baseball in Japan was added to my list.”

In 2019 he visited Japan again, this time to tour Yokohama DeNA BayStars’ training facilities.
Bauer said, “It was not just baseball. I learned a lot about the Japanese culture, including the concept of harmony, which prioritizes community peace and unity over individual needs. It is a culture of honor, respect, and humility.”

Why did Bauer sign with Yokohama for  $3 million?

Dodgers shoulder over $34 million salary this season

Bauer had one year remaining on his three-year contract with the Dodgers, and the Dodgers would be responsible for his salary in 2023, so any team was free to acquire him at the major league minimum guaranteed salary. The major league minimum guaranteed annual salary is $720,000. In other words, Yokohama DeNA was able to acquire him because the Dodgers would shoulder his high salary for this one year on.

First Cy Young Award winner to join a Japanese professional baseball team in 67 years

Bauer’s number was chosen as “96” because of his resolution that this year he aims to reach an average pitch speed of 96 mph. This is the first time a Cy Young Award winner has joined a Japanese professional baseball team since Don Newcomb (1956 winner), who played outfield for the Chunichi Dragons in 1962 after already retiring as a pitcher.

About Trevor Bauer

Trevor Bauer was born on January 17, 1991, in North Hollywood, California. He has played in MLB for several teams, including the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bauer was a standout player in college, pitching for the UCLA Bruins, where he was a first-team All-American in 2011. He was then selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks as the third overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft.

Bauer made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks in 2012 but was traded to the Cleveland Indians in 2013. He spent several seasons with the Indians, where he established himself as one of the best young pitchers in the game. In 2018, he was named an All-Star and finished sixth in the American League Cy Young Award voting.

In 2019, Bauer was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where he had another strong season. He was once again named an All-Star and finished eighth in the National League Cy Young Award voting.

In 2020, Bauer signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent, and he had a dominant season, winning the National League Cy Young Award. However, his time with the Dodgers was marred by controversy, as he was accused of sexual assault by a woman in 2021. Bauer has denied the allegations, and the case is still ongoing.