Connect with us

Published

on

The last time Trevor Bauer took the mound, he seemed to have reached the apex of his pitching career. By the summer of 2021, the talent that made him a first-round draft pick and the curiosities that unlocked cutting-edge training regiments had finally converged. He was a reigning Cy Young Award winner who stood among his profession’s top earners and best performers, a legitimate ace on one of the sport’s most celebrated pitching staffs. Then everything changed.

And now it’s fair to wonder whether Bauer’s major league career might be finished.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, after deliberating much longer than many anticipated, have ensured Bauer’s career will not continue with their organization. They designated Bauer for assignment on Friday, two weeks after his suspension under Major League Baseball’s domestic-violence policy was trimmed from 324 to 194 games. Bauer is expected to clear waivers and officially become a free agent next Friday. The Dodgers will be on the hook for $22.5 million of Bauer’s 2023 salary but will save $720,000 if another team signs him for the minimum. And now the predominant question is: Will any team do it?

The industry’s perspective, if it can be summarized with one sentence: Unlikely, but not impossible.

ESPN surveyed about two-dozen agents and front-office executives over the past month in an effort to gauge Bauer’s potential free agent market, and the answers didn’t deviate much beyond that. The most common response landed closely with what a rival general manager plainly stated in a text message on the night of Dec. 22, moments after an independent arbitrator ruled that Bauer — having already served 144 games in 2022 — would be docked pay for the first 50 games of the 2023 season but would be reinstated immediately.

“I don’t expect anyone will sign him,” the GM wrote.

Bauer’s punishment was ultimately reduced by 40%, but the arbiter who spent parts of eight months reviewing findings and hearing testimony nonetheless ruled that he deserved what still amounted to the longest suspension under the domestic violence, sexual assault and child-abuse policy that was jointly agreed to by MLB and the MLB Players’ Association in August of 2015.

Bauer, 31, is the 16th player suspended under that policy and the first with more than one publicly known accuser. He has three — the San Diego woman who triggered MLB’s investigation, alleging Bauer essentially took consensual rough sex too far, and two other women who made similar allegations to the Washington Post.

“Nobody’s touching that guy,” an agent told ESPN recently. “Not a chance.”

But the possibility was raised by a handful of the agents and executives whom ESPN spoke with in recent weeks, before and after the reduction was announced. Bauer will still be only 32 next month, with a healthy arm and a distinguished track record. And soon, barring the unlikely scenario of the Dodgers finding a trade partner, Bauer can be had for the major-league-minimum salary — at a time when free-agent contracts are through the roof, and dependable, upper-echelon starting pitchers are more rare than ever.

“I think there will be teams that will at least be interested,” another agent said.

“Some teams will just take the arm,” a front-office executive added, “and they’ll deal with the blowback later.”

The Houston Astros of Jeff Luhnow took a similar approach, acquiring prominent closer Roberto Osuna from the Toronto Blue Jays in July of 2018, less than three months after he was arrested for alleged assault against the mother of his child. The Cleveland Browns traded for star quarterback Deshaun Watson in March of 2022, and subsequently signed him to a record contract, even though more than two dozen women have filed lawsuits against him for sexual misconduct. Talent often transcends morality, and professional sports is littered with examples.

Bauer, though, would bring a unique challenge to a prospective new employer, according to one rival executive. As he described, it isn’t just the stain on an organization’s reputation or the backlash from its fans or the general negativity that would surround it — it’s that Bauer hasn’t shown an ounce of contrition throughout this process. In fact, he has taken the opposite approach, fighting every allegation vehemently.

“If you sign someone with that type of baggage,” one agent noted, “you have to walk him through the reclamation tour. And I don’t think he’s coachable for that.”

In that regard, Bauer’s public response to the arbiter’s ruling was telling — just a short tweet, comprising 18 words and two emojis.

It was an encapsulation of the way Bauer has approached the sexual assault allegations that have been levied against him; a reminder that he does not care to, and does not feel obligated to, account for his missteps or apologize to those who were hurt by his actions. It also hinted at what’s to come — an uncertain major league future for a man who does not believe it should be in question.

Suspensions of Bauer’s length are exceedingly rare in the 56-year history of the MLBPA, which gave players an avenue to fight the lifetime bans that were frequently handed out in earlier decades.

Jenrry Mejia received a permanent ban in 2016 for multiple positive PED tests, though he was reinstated two years later. Dwight Gooden and Steve Howe received year-plus suspensions for drug-and-alcohol-related issues. Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Marlon Byrd, Francis Martes, Cody Stanley and Pascual Perez all received 162-game suspensions for their ties to PEDs. Sam Dyson also received a 162-game suspension for violating the domestic violence policy in March of 2021. Bauer has since topped it, becoming one of just three active players in the last half century — along with Mejia and Gooden — to be handed suspensions that exceeded a full season.

That’s the history Bauer is dealing with.

That’s the history prospective suitors would have to reckon with.

It seems unlikely that anyone would take on the risk, but in the words of one GM:

“All it takes is one team.”

Continue Reading

Sports

Penn State QB Allar off injury report vs. Buckeyes

Published

on

By

Penn State QB Allar off injury report vs. Buckeyes

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is set to play in Saturday’s key Big Ten matchup against No. 4 Ohio State.

Allar missed the second half of last week’s win over Wisconsin after suffering a left knee injury, but he was not listed on the injury report for the No. 3 Nittany Lions on Saturday morning.

Penn State coach James Franklin said earlier this week that Allar could be a game-time decision and that backup Beau Pribula would take snaps with Allar in practice.

Allar ranks 10th nationally with a QBR of 83.6. He has completed 71.3% of his passes for 1,640 yards and totaled 15 touchdowns with four interceptions.

Penn State starting defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton will be a game-time decision, a source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Dennis-Sutton, who is listed as questionable, is expected to warm up and try to play.

Information from ESPN’s Jake Trotter was used in this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Army star QB Daily to miss game vs. Air Force

Published

on

By

Army star QB Daily to miss game vs. Air Force

WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army star quarterback Bryson Daily will miss Saturday’s game against Air Force with an undisclosed injury/illness, Army officials told ESPN.

Daily leads the country with 19 rushing touchdowns and leads all FBS quarterbacks with 909 rushing yards. He was unable to practice this week. The No. 21 Black Knights had a bye last weekend after beating East Carolina 45-28 on Oct. 19 to win their seventh straight game this season.

In the win over ECU, Daily carried the ball 31 times for a career-high 171 yards and accounted for six touchdowns, five rushing and one passing. The 6-foot, 221-pound senior has already set Army single-season records for touchdowns responsible for (26) and rushing touchdowns (19) in seven games.

With Daily sidelined, junior Dewayne Coleman will fill in at quarterback and make his first career start. Daily, one of four team captains, has been Army’s starting quarterback over the past two seasons and the main cog in a Black Knights offense that has eclipsed 400 yards of total offense in all seven games this season.

Army (7-0, 6-0) travels to North Texas next week for an AAC contest. They get a bye week on Nov. 16 and then face Notre Dame on Nov. 23 at Yankee Stadium.

There’s no timetable at this point on how long Daily might be out of the lineup, but Army officials don’t think it’s a season-ending setback.

Army, off to its best start in nearly 30 years, will be one of the top contenders for the Group of 5’s spot in the College Football Playoff if the Black Knights can win the American Athletic Conference championship.

Continue Reading

Sports

MLB All-October team: The stars who ruled the 2024 playoffs

Published

on

By

MLB All-October team: The stars who ruled the 2024 playoffs

The 2024 World Series ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the championship in a stunning comeback in Game 5, with Walker Buehler the unlikely pitcher to close out the 7-6 win over the New York Yankees. First baseman Freddie Freeman was handed the World Series MVP award for his record-tying 12-RBI performance.

But that doesn’t tell the full story of everyone who played a starring role in October — a postseason that featured a record six grand slams, among other wildness. So, to honor the best of the entire postseason, we’ve created our first MLB All-October Team.

From wild-card-round sensations to World Series standouts, here are the players our ESPN MLB panel of experts voted as the best of the best at every position along with some award hardware for the brightest stars of October.


2024 All-October Team

Catcher: Kyle Higashioka, San Diego Padres

Why he’s here: To be honest, it wasn’t a great playoffs for catchers — they hit just .184/.254/.310. Higashioka is the one catcher who did hit, belting three home runs and driving in five runs in the seven games the Padres played.

Honorable mention: Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers


1B: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers

Why he’s here: Freeman didn’t have an extra-base hit and drove in just one run in the first two rounds of the playoffs as he tried to play through the severely sprained ankle he suffered at the end of the regular season. He didn’t even play in two games of the NLCS and required hours of physical therapy before each game just to get on the field. But the five days off before the World Series clearly helped, and he homered in the first four games, including his dramatic walk-off grand slam in Game 1 that will go down as not only the signature World Series moment of 2024 — but a World Series moment for the ages.

Honorable mention: Pete Alonso, New York Mets


2B: Gleyber Torres, New York Yankees

Why he’s here: Torres had a solid October as he heads into free agency, although he had little competition here. Indeed, second basemen collectively hit just .219 with three home runs the entire playoffs — two of those from Torres — and drove in 24 runs, with Torres driving in eight himself. He had three multihit games and scored five runs in five games in the ALCS, while also taking walks to help set the table for Juan Soto.

Honorable mention: Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers


3B: Mark Vientos, New York Mets

Why he’s here: Max Muncy set a record when he reached base 17 times in the NLCS, including a single-postseason-record 12 times in a row, but he went hitless in the World Series. Vientos, meanwhile, had a stellar first trip to the postseason, hitting .327/.362/.636 with five home runs and 14 RBIs in 13 games. That followed a breakout regular season in which he posted an .837 OPS with 27 home runs in just 111 games. He looks like he’ll be a fixture in the middle of the Mets’ lineup for years to come.

Honorable mention: Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers


SS: Tommy Edman, Los Angeles Dodgers

Why he’s here: Edman was an under-the-radar pickup at the trade deadline, in part because he was still injured and hadn’t yet played for the St. Louis Cardinals. Most of Edman’s starts came at shortstop, especially after Miguel Rojas was injured in the NLDS, but his bat got him here. Edman was the NLCS MVP after hitting .407 with a record-tying 11 RBIs in the series. He had started at cleanup just twice in his career but was slotted there twice against the Mets, driving in seven runs in those two games. Then he went 2-for-4 in each of the first two games of the World Series, including a home run in Game 2, and finished the Fall Classic hitting .294/.400/.588 with six runs.

Honorable mention: Francisco Lindor, New York Mets


OF: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
OF: Juan Soto, New York Yankees
OF: Enrique Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers

Why they’re here: Betts entered this postseason in a 3-for-38 postseason slump going back to the end of the 2021 NLCS — and it initially looked like it would be more of the same when he went 0-for-6 the first two games of the NLDS, including being robbed of a home run courtesy of Jurickson Profar. Everything turned in Game 3 when Profar almost robbed him of another home run — but didn’t. After that, Betts was in the middle of most of the Dodgers’ big rallies, hitting .321/.394/.625 with four home runs and 16 RBIs over the Dodgers’ final 14 playoff games.

Soto’s at-bats spoke for themselves: He never seemed to have a bad one. His big at-bat was the three-run home run in the 10th inning of Game 5 of the ALCS to send the Yankees to the World Series. Getting intentionally walked twice while batting in front of Aaron Judge speaks to Judge’s struggles, yes — but also to how locked in Soto was all postseason. He finished the postseason slashing .327/.469/.633 with 4 home runs, 9 RBIs and 14 walks in 14 games.

Hernandez actually began October on the bench, but we’ve seen him perform big in the postseason before, and he stepped up when Rojas was injured in the NLDS. Hernandez homered in the Dodgers’ 2-0 victory to close out the Padres in the NLDS, had a big two-run home run against the Mets in Game 3 of the NLCS and got the series-turning five-run rally against the Yankees in Game 5 started with a leadoff single in the fifth as well as the series-winning rally in the eighth with another leadoff base hit. Overall, he hit .294/.357/.451 with 11 runs and six RBIs.

Honorable mentions: Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians; Teoscar Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers; Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres


DH: Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees

Why he’s here: The Yankees were often a two-man show in the postseason, just like they were in the regular season — except it was Soto and Stanton, not Soto and Judge. Stanton blasted seven home runs in the playoffs, including in the final three games of the ALCS (earning MVP honors) and in Games 1 and 5 of the World Series. He finished the playoffs hitting .273/.339/.709, and those seven homers are the most in a single postseason in Yankees history.

Honorable mention: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers; David Fry, Cleveland Guardians


SP: Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
SP: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

Why they’re here: Certainly, it seems as if the status of the starting pitcher in the postseason continues to decline — although, that doesn’t mean they’re not important. There were certainly some stellar individual outings along the way: Corbin Burnes allowed one run in eight innings (but lost 1-0) for the Baltimore Orioles; Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler allowed one hit in seven scoreless innings (but that would be his only start); and the Padres’ Michael King fanned 12 to beat the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. Skubal had two scoreless starts against the Houston Astros in the wild-card series and Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS, confirming his status as one of the best in the game — or maybe the best, as his soon-to-be AL Cy Young Award will attest.

Cole was really the one consistent starter throughout the postseason, making five starts with a 2.17 ERA. Unfortunately, that ERA doesn’t register the five unearned runs from the final game of the World Series when the Yankees’ defense turned into a comedy of errors — including Cole himself opening up the floodgates by failing to cover first base to get what would have been the inning-ending out.

Honorable mention: Walker Buehler, Los Angeles Dodgers; Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers; Sean Manaea, New York Mets; Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals


RP: Luke Weaver, New York Yankees
RP: Blake Treinen, Los Angeles Dodgers

Why they’re here: It also wasn’t the best of postseasons for closers — not even great ones. The Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase allowed five earned runs all regular season — and then eight in the playoffs. Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams blew that wild-card game against the Mets. All-Star Jeff Hoffman lost two games for the Phillies. Weaver, however, was the one consistent late-game performer and was great while often pitching more than one inning. He posted a 1.76 ERA across 15⅓ innings. Who knows how the World Series ends if Yankees manager Aaron Boone keeps Weaver in the game in the 10th inning of Game 1. (Weaver had thrown just 19 pitches.)

Treinen, meanwhile, capped his comeback season — he had missed almost all of 2022 and then all of 2023 — with a 2.19 ERA across 12⅓ innings, winning two games and saving three others. In the World Series clincher, he recorded seven outs and got out of a two-on, no-out jam in the eighth inning to preserve the Dodgers’ 7-6 lead before handing the ball to Buehler to close out the ninth.

Honorable mention: Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians; Michael Kopech, Los Angeles Dodgers; Beau Brieske, Detroit Tigers


All-October Award Winners

October MVP: Freddie Freeman

Pitchers of the month: Gerrit Cole, Walker Buehler (tie)

Best October introduction: Mark Vientos

Clutch performer: Freeman

Continue Reading

Trending