This past Friday, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer was suspended for two years by MLB's (Major League Baseball’s) Commissioner Rob Manfred. It is one of the longest suspensions in MLB history. On the surface, there's no reason for any suspension, especially one of two years. That’s the equivalent of 324 games, and if the suspension is upheld, it would cost Bauer more than $50 million.
The MLB Players Association ceded all disciplinary actions in the proceedings to the Commission according to the previous contract, which means that the Commissioner, theoretically, can do “whatever he wants.” However, that doesn't mean he can make decisions according to what seems to be the cultural equivalent of “believe all women.”
Bauer's sexual tendencies are disconcerting. Bauer is, it appears, a lover of rough and hard sexual relations. However, what Bauer enjoys doing with a willing partner and in the privacy of his own home shouldn't cause him to be subjected to this uninformed and career-ending decision by Rob Manfred.
We should not forget that Manfred's judgment is, at best, suspect. His expertise on politically charged issues and on cultural customs is more like the manner of teachers posting videos about grooming young children on TikTok. Manfred stopped the All-Star Game from taking place in Georgia over his ridiculous, easily disproved and untrue assertion that Georgia law regarding voting rights restricts the rights of minorities. Manfred moved the game to the state of Colorado, which has stricter rules regarding early voting. Manfred isn’t even close to having Solomon's wisdom in any way.
In June of 2021, Bauer pitched his final match with the Dodgers. A San Diego woman requested a temporary restraining order (TRO). She said that during two sexual encounters with Bauer, he over-exceeded her rough sexual “limits.” Bauer was removed from the MLB after a four-day hearing was held.
At first glance, a TRO appeared to be the wrong vehicle; it was reminiscent of paydays. She claimed her limit was exceeded on two different occasions and during different months. If she objected to the first instance, it shouldn't have happened a second time. There are also texts that indicate she actually requested to be choked into unconsciousness. Creepy? Sure. Illegal–not a problem.
While she claimed that she suffered serious injuries, the judge who handled the case found that she wasn't able to satisfy the standard of proof required to be granted a restraining order. Prior to the closing statements, no order was issued. In August the year before, the judge ruled against the request, thereby ending the case, or so it appeared. Bauer has since filed a lawsuit against his accuser in federal court.
Another woman also gave her story and made similar claims about rough-sex injuries that she suffered in Ohio within the same timeframe, while Bauer pitched with the Reds. This claim went the same way as the other one, and she dropped it. Bauer has threatened to bring a lawsuit against her for defamation, and it is likely that, given the suspension, he will.
The MLB continues its efforts to “investigate” and extend Bauer's leave. It is not clear that the MLB has other proof beyond the two claims made.
In the end, if there are only two public claims that his sex is rough, mostly founded in “he said, she said” testimony, Bauer is getting railroaded. It’s likely that Rob Manfred's decision has nothing to do with evidence-based, factual evidence and more to do with optics and bending a knee to the cultural Left and “believe all women” crowd. As of now, all that is known is that two ladies said that they had been “hurt” during rough sex. Trevor Bauer denies that any of it was not consensual. What Manfred has done is to dismiss and doubt all the evidence and testimony that Bauer provided, without doubting that both women spoke the truth. For Manfred, his calculation might have been just as simple and unintelligible as “two against one.”
There is little room for Manfred to argue otherwise. This, or Manfred realizes that his decision is unlikely to survive the appeals process. He chose the coward's route in a decision that is a win for those on the “believe all women” side. If Bauer decides to appeal, and such an appeal will probably be successful, Manfred will still be able to claim the status of hero for the Left and say, “I tried.” He will be able to hold his head high during the classy New York cocktail parties.
The available evidence is shockingly insufficient and filled with tidbits that shout “payday.” It should alarm anyone, woman or man, to know that the MLB accepts that if a woman accuses a man, he has to be able to disprove the accusations. This isn't the way it's supposed to function. This kangaroo-court style of justice is being practiced on campuses and is in direct contradiction to the foundations of the law of jurisprudence. The concept of innocence until proven guilty appears to be a non-existent issue in the view of Rob Manfred.
We don't need to “like” Trevor Bauer. The things in which he's involved are disturbing, and we can be wary of his personal life. Justice is supposed to be blind. It is not necessary to “like” people when we demand the same justice. A savage man has the same right to justice as a “good” man.
In this particular case, though, it is not clear what happened. One thing is for certain: Justice has not been executed.
