Bauer speaks at news conference in Japan
The Trevor Bauer era in Japan began Friday at an introductory news conference, where he pulled a blue and white Yokohama DeNA BayStars jersey over a white shirt and red tie.
The 2020 Cy Young Award winner is in Japan on a one-year deal that could let him prove himself and return to Major League Baseball, where he was unable to find work this season even after an arbitrator reduced his unprecedented 324-game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy.
He was cut in January by the Dodgers, who still owe him $22.5 million this season.
Not a single Japanese reporter asked him about his suspension in the United States or the circumstances surrounding it.
The only question about it came from The Associated Press. Bauer disputed the fact the question suggested he was suspended from the major leagues.
“I don’t believe that’s accurate,” he said of the suspension. “But I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to pitch again. I’ve always wanted to play in Japan.”
He said afterward the suspension dealt technically with issues of pay, and he said he had contacted major league teams about playing this year. He would have been eligible, but he did not say if he had offers.
Bauer was released by the Dodgers three weeks after an arbitrator reduced his suspension imposed by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred from 324 to 194 games.
The penalty followed an investigation into domestic violence allegations, which the pitcher has denied.
Manfred suspended Bauer last April for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy, after a San Diego woman said he beat and sexually abused her in 2021.
Bauer has maintained he did nothing wrong, saying everything that happened between him and the woman was consensual. He was never charged with a crime.
• The Texas Rangers aren’t wasting any time in seeing what they have in Jacob deGrom.
The ace right-hander, who signed a five-year, $185 million contract with the Rangers in the offseason, will face Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola when the 2023 Major League Baseball season opens Thursday.
All 30 clubs will be in action that day for the first time since 1968.
This will be deGrom’s fourth career Opening Day start. The two-time Cy Young winner got the nod from 2019-21 while pitching for the New York Mets. Texas has been cautious with deGrom during spring training after the 34-year-old reported tightness in his left side right before team workouts began in February.
His work over the last month has been solid enough that the Rangers did not hesitate in making deGrom the seventh different pitcher to get the ball on opening day for the team in the last seven years.
“Early, we had to hold him back a little bit, but we think he’s good to go,” new Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “We have the day off after opening day, so we can cover him. We’re not looking for him to take us real deep in the game or anything. So this just makes all of the sense in the world to us.”
Nola, by contrast, has been a fixture for the Phillies. The 29-year-old will make his sixth opening day start for Philadelphia. Only Hall of Famers Robin Roberts (12) and Steve Carlton (10) have started more season openers in Phillies’ history.
Eight Cy Young winners in all will take the mound on March 30, including Corey Kluber, who will make his first start for Boston when the Red Sox face Baltimore.
The youngest opening-day starter will be Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene. The hard-throwing 23-year-old will match up with Mitch Keller and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Greene struck out 164 hitters in 125 2/3 innings as a rookie last season. Greene also pitched 7 1/3 no-hit innings against the Pirates last April, only to take the loss.
Greene is out of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High.
• Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins will get a second opinion on his injured left knee but the team believes Hoskins will miss all of the 2023 season.
General manager Dave Dombrowski said while Hoskins will be re-evaluated, he would be “shocked” if the 30-year-old Hoskins did not require surgery to repair a torn ACL.
Hoskins injured the knee Thursday while fielding a grounder. The Phillies will turn to Darick Hall to replace Hoskins. Hall, 27, hit .250 with nine home runs and 16 RBIs in 41 games as a rookie in 2022.