Update: We originally wrote that “four women have filed lawsuits” against Bauer. There has been one lawsuit and one countersuit filed civilly against Mr. Bauer.
We have also updated our post to note that Lindsey Hill self-identified herself publicly on social media, through statements from her attorneys, and in court filings before Bauer named her in his video.
Original: Trevor Bauer hasn’t thrown a pitch in an MLB game since the 2021 season.
But with his historic suspension now over, the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner is making the rounds.
Kicking off a media tour with the apparent intent of improving his reputation — and perhaps, returning the the MLB — Bauer appeared on Fox News’ America’s Newsroom on Thursday night. During his interview with anchor Bill Hemmer, the 32-year-old addressed the accusations of sexual assault against him, which resulted in an unprecedented 324-game (later reduced to 194 games) MLB suspension.
“I know that I’ve made mistakes. That’s kinda what I’m trying to focus on,” Bauer said. “How do I get better from the experiences that I’ve had? I’ve made mistakes in my personal life. I’m really detail-oriented when it comes to baseball and my training, but I didn’t apply the same level of scrutiny to my personal life.”
“I made mistakes. I agreed to do things I shouldn’t have done. I was reckless. It hurt a lot of people along the way. I made things very difficult for Major League Baseball, for the Dodgers, my teammates, my friends, family, people close to me.”
Bauer went on to express regret for the way he previously handled his dealings with the media.
“I made a lot of people in the media mad,” he said. “I was very immature with how I handled things when people would write things about me that I didn’t agree with. I should’ve just had a private, adult conversation with someone. I was bullied a lot as a kid, I don’t really want to get into that, but at the time I viewed a lot of my responses on social media as standing up for myself and having a voice. And I think that was just immature… I’ve grown up a lot for sure.”
Trevor Bauer: "I made a lot of people in the media mad. I was immature when people wrote things about me I didn’t agree with… but I was bullied a lot as a kid."
Fox News' Bill Hemmer: "So you were bullied as a kid, that's what you're saying?"
Bauer: "Yeah." pic.twitter.com/77f5kU4lVk
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) January 4, 2024
In October, Bauer settled with his initial accuser, who he had sued (along with her lawyer) for defamation in 2022. As a part of the settlement, Bauer dropped his suit, with the accuser dropping her countersuit alleging sexual battery. No money was exchanged as a part of the settlement and both sides continue to deny each other’s claims.
Multiple women have accused the former All-Star of sexual assault. Bauer has maintained his innocence against all accusations.
As for his dealing with the media, Bauer has been notoriously frosty — and at times, hostile — with reporters dating back to his time with the Cleveland Indians. He also sued The Athletic and Deadspin over their coverage of the sexual assault accusations against him, although neither case remains active (the lawsuit against The Athletic’s Molly Knight was settled, while the suit against Deadspin was thrown out).
For what it’s worth, Bauer doesn’t seem to be blaming his dealings with the media for why he was exiled from MLB but is citing it as an example of his previous immaturity. Even before the heinous accusations against him, the UCLA product had a less-than-stellar reputation, especially when it came to his behavior on social media. And considering that multiple MLB players accused of domestic violence have received second chances, it is fair to wonder how that reputation has affected his inability (thus far) to return to the league.
Hence his current media tour, which it’s worth noting has largely consisted of conservative outlets that were previously more sympathetic to him than the rest of the media. While Bauer hasn’t admitted to doing anything wrong from a legal standpoint, he is making a concerted effort to paint himself as being more mature than the person he’s been for most of his time in the public spotlight.
Considering that his track record is nearly a decade long, Bauer might be facing an uphill battle. After all, it was just three months ago that he responded to the settlement with his first accuser by posting a video accusing her of targeting him for money.
How much has Bauer really grown up? That will be for MLB teams to decide. Having spent the past season pitching in Japan, the right-hander says his agents have had talks with multiple teams, but that a contract or even spring training invitation has yet to come to fruition.
[Fox News]
