8 free agent duds we’re glad the St. Louis Cardinals didn’t sign

Trevor Bauer

It’s safe to say, Trevor Bauer was never really an option for the St. Louis Cardinals. After a season with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020 that earned him a Cy Young Award, he was looking to a larger market where he could make a lot of money.

And he did that when he signed with his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers for a record three-year contract, loaded with options, worth $102 million. He could opt out after the 2021 or 2022 season.

But with recent developments, it will be interesting to see if things even get that far along for Bauer.

Bauer landed himself on the restricted list on July 2. He is currently on administrative leave from the Dodgers through at least Sept. 3.  He is being investigated by the Pasadena Police Department and Major League Baseball for some disturbing sexual assault allegations. The case was recently turned over to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office for review.

Bauer is known as a hot-headed, opinionated sort with problems involving women. During his time with the Cleveland Indians he was known to have a couple of incidents of online bullying and harassment with females. It would seem any team signing him would know this about him and stipulate that he control himself and treat people with respect.

Without such stipulations, it would seem signing a player of Bauer’s ilk would be a slap in the face to female fans and fans, in general, who appreciate upstanding individuals representing their team.

He is a good pitcher and prior to his placement on administrative leave, he had an 8-5 record after 17 games started. He threw 107.2 innings, while striking out 137 batters, he did give up 71 hits, 31 earned runs, 19 home runs and 37 walks. He hit three hitters by pitch.

Bauer was being watched closely by Major League Baseball after being vocal about the use of foreign substances by pitchers to get an edge. Prior to being placed on administrative leave, the league began checking pitchers for substances after each inning. During his last outing, Bauer was vocally upset about being checked for foreign substances by umpire Angel Hernandez.

It has been notable that none of his teammates, current or former, have had his back regarding the issues of foreign substances or the sexual assault allegations. In fact, per FanSided’s Dodger’s Away site, his teammates want him gone.  Even former pitcher Dave Stewart has been vocal about the Dodger’s and their handling of Bauer.

Bauer has questionable tactics as a a pitcher. He appears to be a player that his own teammates do not care to be around. And, with allegations of sexual assault and previous treatment of women online, he is a person with questionable moral standards.

I am relieved the Cardinals never targeted Bauer. The Cardinals need, and tend to have, players who hold themselves to a higher standard. The team also has a loyal fanbase, with several women, that would cringe having a player like Bauer on their team.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming weeks with the allegations and how the Dodgers and Major League Baseball will handle the situation going forward.