Trevor Bauer Officially Released, Can Sign With Any Team for MLB Minimum

Trevor Bauer's tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers has officially come to a close.

The Bauer saga has taken any number of twists and turns over the past several years. After accusations of domestic violence, Bauer maintained his innocence, and had several wins in court supporting his claims.

The local DA's office also declined to press charges, leading him to file a countersuit against his accuser's lawyer for defamation. That, however, resulted in a loss.

Regardless, MLB suspended him for essentially two seasons, issuing the longest single punishment they'd ever given under their domestic violence policy.

Bauer appealed, and after a lengthy deliberation, essentially won, resulting in his suspension being substantially reduced.

That put the Dodgers on the clock, giving them essentially two weeks to decide whether to reinstate him, trade him, or release him.

Unsurprisingly, they decided that he would no longer be part of the organization going forward.

READ: DODGERS ANNOUNCE THEY ARE RELEASING PITCHER TREVOR BAUER

While they technically could have traded Bauer after he was DFA'd, his release became official on Thursday.

Where Does Bauer Go?

It was also a near impossibility for the Dodgers to trade Bauer after announcing their decision.

Instead of giving away any potential value, any suitors could wait for him to become a free agent.

Reports claimed that the Dodgers front office deliberated the risk of him signing with division rivals like the Padres.

But to this point there's been no indication of whether or not the Padres, or any other team for that matter, will be interested.

Obviously signing Bauer would create a significant amount of attention. Most sportswriters celebrated the Dodgers decision, with some saying it should have come sooner.

So will any other team risk the PR hit by bringing Bauer in?

His talent would certainly merit him signing elsewhere, but it's hard to say if it's likely.

For the Dodgers, the signing was an unmitigated disaster. They'll wind up paying Bauer nearly $65 million to make just 17 starts.

Now the question will be how many starts Bauer will make in his professional career.

Written by
Ian Miller is a former award watching high school actor, author, and long suffering Dodgers fan. He spends most of his time golfing, traveling, reading about World War I history, and trying to get the remote back from his dog. Follow him on Twitter @ianmSC