Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly unlikely to keep Trevor Bauer after an arbitrator upheld 194 games of his 324-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy and reinstated him.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Dodgers are "expected" to release the right-handed pitcher because people in their clubhouse "would prefer he'd be elsewhere."

The Dodgers have until Jan. 6 to make a decision on Bauer's future with the organization.

As part of the arbitrator's decision, Bauer was fined his salary for the first 50 games of the 2023 season.

MLB issued a 324-game suspension to Bauer in April 2022 that included the entire 2022 season and all of 2023. He had been on administrative leave since July 2, 2021, after a woman filed for a domestic violence restraining order against him for alleged assaults during sexual encounters.

The Pasadena Police Department confirmed the woman's allegations were being investigated.

Per Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang of The Athletic, the woman's request for a temporary restraining order said Bauer "assaulted her on two different occasions" during consensual sexual encounters.

During an August 2021 court appearance, the woman who made the allegations testified about her encounters with Bauer.

"I was scared of him," she said at another point in her testimony. "I was in so much pain."

Bauer has denied the allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit against the woman in April, saying she lied about details involving their sexual encounters and was trying to ruin his MLB career.

The woman filed a countersuit against Bauer's defamation claim in August.

Per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, a judge dismissed Bauer's defamation lawsuit against one of the woman's former attorneys and ruled her sexual assault case can continue.

The Dodgers signed Bauer to a three-year, $102 million contract in 2021. The deal included player opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.

Bauer's last appearance in an MLB game was June 28, 2021. He made 17 starts for the Dodgers before being placed on administrative leave.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer has won the appeal of his 324-game suspension.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today shared a statement from Major League Baseball announcing arbitrator Martin Scheinman reduced Bauer's suspension to 194 games on Thursday, meaning he is reinstated.

"While we believe a longer suspension was warranted, MLB will abide by the neutral arbitrator's decision, which upholds baseball's longest-ever active player suspension for sexual assault or domestic violence," the statement said.

On April 29, Major League Baseball announced a 324-game suspension for Bauer covering two full seasons. The suspension didn't include the games he was ineligible to play while on administrative leave.

ESPN's Jeff Passan noted on a May 2022 episode of the Baseball Tonight podcast that a reduced suspension was the most likely outcome from Bauer's grievance against MLB.

"When you look at a suspension as enormous as this one, typically huge suspensions find some kind of reduction," Passan said (h/t SI.com's Inside the Dodgers). "I don't know if it's going to be a half-season, I don't know if it's going to be a full season. But MLB believes that it has a mountain of evidence against Trevor Bauer."

Bauer hasn't appeared in a game since June 28, 2021. Two days later, Southern California law enforcement officials confirmed they were investigating allegations Bauer had sexually assaulted a woman who contacted police on approximately May 16.

Jon Fetterolf, Bauer's attorney, released a statement on behalf of his client denying the allegations:

"Mr. Bauer had a brief and wholly consensual sexual relationship initiated by [his accuser] beginning in April 2021. We have messages that show [his accuser] repeatedly asking for 'rough' sexual encounters. In the days following their second and final encounter, [his accuser] shared photos of herself and indicated that she had sought medical care for a concussion. Mr. Bauer responded with concern and confusion, and [his accuser] was neither angry nor accusatory."

The woman who accused Bauer was granted a temporary restraining order against him. It was dissolved in August 2021 when Los Angeles Superior Court judge Dianna Gould-Saltman denied her request for a permanent restraining order.

MLB placed Bauer on administrative leave on July 2, 2021. Since administrative leave only covers a period of seven days, the league continued to extend it as its investigation into the allegations continued.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced in February it would not pursue criminal charges against Bauer.

"After a thorough review of all the available evidence, including the civil restraining order proceedings, witness statements and the physical evidence, the People are unable to prove the relevant charges beyond a reasonable doubt," the D.A.'s office statement said.

Bauer tweeted after the suspension was announced that he was appealing the decision and denied violating MLB's domestic violence and sexual assault policy.

On the same day the suspension was announced, Gus Garcia-Roberts of the Washington Post reported a second woman had previously been granted a temporary restraining order in 2020 after accusing Bauer of choking her unconscious and punching her without her consent, among other things.

Bauer denied that allegation, and he did the same in April after a third woman told the Washington Post that Bauer had choked her without consent multiple times during sex across a multiyear relationship. Bauer said the acts were consensual.

In May, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported people within the sport were uncertain whether Bauer will ever pitch in MLB again.

"No one wants to stand up there next to him," one longtime baseball person told Heyman.

Bauer's contract with the Dodgers will expire after the 2023 season, though Heyman noted the team could release him now that the result of his appeal is known. The 31-year-old signed a three-year, $102 million deal with Los Angeles in February 2021.

While there isn't much that Clayton Kershaw hasn't accomplished during his storied career, he seized the opportunity to do something he's never done before on Monday.

MLB announced that the Los Angeles Dodgers veteran pitcher will join the Team USA roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. It will be the first time Kershaw represents his country in the WBC.

In 2017, Kershaw declined an invitation to pitch in the WBC for Team USA. He addressed the possibility of participating in the world tournament earlier this month, telling reporters, "We're still working through some things there. Obviously, it would be a huge honor."

Kershaw will be joined by Dodgers teammates Mookie Betts and Will Smith on the Team USA roster. The 2023 group features a star-studded lineup of position players, including 2022 National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt, three-time American League MVP Mike Trout and 2022 All-Stars Pete Alonso, Nolan Arenado and Trea Turner.

The pitching staff includes names such as St. Louis Cardinals veteran Adam Wainwright and New York Yankees All-Star Nestor Cortes, but the addition of the three-time Cy Young Award winner makes him the ace of the rotation. Kershaw can be the key to leading Team USA to a second consecutive WBC title.

The 34-year-old went 12-3 for the Dodgers this past season while posting a 2.28 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP and 137 strikeouts across 22 starts. He was selected to his ninth All-Star Game, and he became Los Angeles' franchise leader in strikeouts during his start against the Detroit Tigers on April 30.

The 2023 WBC will begin on March 8 and conclude on March 21. Games will be held in Miami, Phoenix, Tokyo and Taichung, Taiwan. The tournament field has expanded from 16 to 20 teams.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping J.D. Martinez can add some pop to their lineup in 2023.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Martinez has agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal with the reigning National League West champs.

Despite being connected to many of the top free agents this offseason, the Dodgers have been fairly quiet when it comes to actually finalizing deals.

Los Angeles did re-sign Clayton Kershaw and brought in Noah Syndergaard, but Trea Turner, Cody Bellinger, Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney and Chris Martin are among the free agents who have signed with other teams.

The Dodgers had a projected payroll of $211.4 million next season prior to the addition of Martinez. Adding his $10 million salary to that total still leaves them approximately $11.6 million under the $233 million competitive balance tax.

Dodgers Projected Lineup

1. Mookie Betts, RF

2. Freddie Freeman, 1B

3. Will Smith, C

4. Max Muncy, 3B

5. Trayce Thompson, CF

6. J.D. Martinez, DH

7. Chris Taylor, 2B

8. Gavin Lux, SS

9. James Outman, LF

Winning 111 games during the regular season hid several problems the Dodgers had on their roster last season. Those flaws were exposed in the playoffs, as they lost to the San Diego Padres in four games in the National League Division Series.

Max Muncy and Chris Taylor dealt with injuries that significantly impacted their performance. Muncy hit .196/.329/.384 with 21 homers in 136 games. He had a .246/.371/.520 slash line and averaged 30 homers per season from 2018-21.

The Dodgers are clearly betting on 2022 being a blip on the radar for Muncy. They signed him to a one-year, $13.5 million extension in August that includes a $10 million team option for 2024.

Taylor posted a .221/.304/.373 slash line with 10 homers and 43 RBI in 118 games during the 2022 season. He hit .265/.343/.461 and averaged 16 homers and 10 stolen bases per season from 2017-21.

If Muncy and Taylor play closer to their pre-2022 levels next season, the Dodgers will have no problem replacing the offensive production they lost with Turner leaving.

Gavin Lux, who was a top-five prospect in MLB prior to the 2020 season, will likely move over to shortstop after primarily playing second base the previous two years. While his power has yet to show up, he took steps forward with the bat last season with a .276 average and .346 on-base percentage.

If the power arrives in 2023, Lux has All-Star upside.

Martinez is more of a luxury than a necessity for the Dodgers, but he does give manager Dave Roberts more lineup flexibility.

His final stat line from 2022 with the Boston Red Sox looks solid (.274/.341/.448), but Martinez's performance was a tale of two halves. The 35-year-old was named to the All-Star team after hitting .302/.368/.481 in 81 games in the first half.

After the All-Star break, however, Martinez struggled with a .233/.301/.400 slash line and seven homers in 58 games. If his decline was due to being an older player who hit a wall, the Dodgers should be careful to manage his playing time.

One encouraging sign for Martinez is he still destroyed left-handed pitching with a .319/.402/.597 slash line in 137 plate appearances against southpaws last season.

Martinez and Muncy, who is a left-handed hitter, could potentially platoon at DH. Muncy finished last season as the Dodgers' primary third baseman. He could return to that role in 2023, but Roberts could also give 23-year-old Miguel Vargas the keys to the hot corner.

Vargas only had 47 at-bats in the big leagues after being called up for the stretch run. Until he establishes himself, Roberts might be better off letting Muncy play third base and making Martinez the primary DH to start the season.

J.D. Martinez is on the move, as the five-time All-Star has agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, per Robert Murray of FanSided.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network added Martinez will sign a one-year, $10 million deal.

As the Red Sox endured a rough summer in which they fell to the bottom of the American League East standings, Martinez was a popular candidate to be traded before the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

When no deal materialized, Martinez played out the rest of the year with Boston and became a free agent.

Martinez is a DH-only player at this point in his career, but he remains an excellent hitter. He has been named to the AL All-Star team in each of the last two seasons, led the league in doubles (42) in 2021 and has a .345 on-base percentage in 287 games since the start of 2021.

There are some indications that Martinez isn't going to be as valuable with the bat as he has been. His power evaporated after the All-Star break with a .400 slugging percentage.

The Dodgers will be hoping that was just a blip on the radar and that a full offseason to prepare will get things back on track.

Considering Martinez was playing up to his full potential before the All-Star break (.302/.368/.481, 30 doubles in 81 games), there are reasons to be optimistic that he can be an impact bat in the middle of the order in 2023.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts can use Martinez in a platoon role. Even with his second-half struggles last season, Martinez finished with a .998 OPS against left-handed pitching in 119 at-bats.

After declining Justin Turner's option for the 2023 season, the Dodgers had an opening at designated hitter. They can certainly rotate some players already on the roster into that spot, but Martinez gives Roberts another option to choose from.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are "actively pursuing trades for a center fielder," according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Cody Bellinger played 144 games in center field for the Dodgers in 2022, but he was non-tendered this offseason before agreeing to a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs.

Los Angeles is searching for a replacement, with Rosenthal listing the Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds, Arizona Diamondbacks' Alek Thomas, St. Louis Cardinals' Dylan Carlson and Seattle Mariners' Jarred Kelenic among the options.

Reynolds is by far the most proven candidate after earning an All-Star selection in 2021. He finished last season with 27 home runs, seven stolen bases, a .262 batting average and an .807 OPS.

In 2021, his .912 OPS ranked 11th in the majors.

The 27-year-old also requested a trade earlier this month, making him a quality fit for the Dodgers. His past production will create a high trade cost, but it might be worth it for Los Angeles as it tries to win a World Series.

The other potential options struggled offensively last season, although the Dodgers could get a steal with a high-upside player.

Kelenic was one of the top prospects in baseball heading into the 2021 season and has crushed it in the minors (.302 average in Triple-A), but he's hit just .168 across two seasons in the majors.

Carlson hit just .236 with eight home runs last year after he was a Rookie of the Year finalist in 2021.

Thomas had a .231 average and .619 OPS, although he is a plus defender who had six defensive runs saved last year, per FanGraphs.

With a lineup that's already loaded after winning 111 games last season, Los Angeles can afford to take a risk in center field.

If the Dodgers choose not to make a trade, Chris Taylor and Trayce Thompson are among the internal candidates available after playing the position last year. There are few impact options available in free agency after Brandon Nimmo re-signed with the New York Mets and Andrew Benintendi joined the Chicago White Sox.

The Los Angeles Dodgers added to their starting rotation on Wednesday, signing veteran pitcher Noah Syndergaard, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported it was a one-year deal, with Heyman adding it was for $13 million plus incentives. That should bring the team's projected total payroll to around $215 million.

As ESPN's Alden González noted, Syndergaard will join a rotation that already includes Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin. A number of intriguing prospects, including Ryan Pepiot, Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone, are also waiting in the wings.

Walker Buehler will also be under contract with the team after his arbitration is settled, though it's unclear if he'll pitch at all next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August, the second time in his career he's required the procedure.

Syndergaard, 30, went 10-10 last season for the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies, compiling a 3.94 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 95 strikeouts in 134.2 innings. He also made four appearances (two starts) for the Phillies in the postseason, going 0-1 with a 3.24 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with eight strikeouts in 8.1 innings.

He is no longer the caliber of pitcher who finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2015 and was an All-Star the following season.

Injuries are arguably the biggest reason. He made only 32 starts between the 2017 and '18 seasons, as he had a partially torn lat muscle and a strained ligament in his right index finger. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020.

As Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com noted, Syndergaard's dip in velocity since those injuries has limited his effectiveness:

Before his elbow injury, Syndergaard could light up the radar gun like few others. From 2015-19 (including playoffs), Syndergaard threw 1,241 pitches at 99 mph or faster, second in MLB only to Aroldis Chapman. He averaged 98.0 mph on sinkers and four-seamers in that span. Syndergaard's fastest pitch during the 2022 regular season was 96.4 mph, and his two fastballs collectively averaged 93.8 mph. On average, he also threw his slider, changeup and curveball slower than he did in his heyday.

The velocity drop coincided with a sharp decrease in whiff rate and strikeout rate. Syndergaard not only finished 2022 with career lows in both departments, his 20.1 percent whiff rate and 16.8 percent strikeout rate were both well below the MLB average.

That makes him a back-of-the-rotation option at best, though in Kershaw, Urias and Gonsolin, the Dodgers have an excellent top three, while Dustin May spent much of the 2022 season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery but was has largely been excellent when healthy.

So Syndergaard very likely will be the No. 4 or 5 option in this rotation. The Dodgers have some major questions after losing Trea Turner, Cody Bellinger and Tyler Anderson in free agency, among others, but the pitching staff isn't one of them.

Noah Syndergaard is on the move again after agreeing to a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post added the deal is for one year and $13 million as Syndergaard is going to "bet on himself."

Passan reports Syndergaard is expected to join L.A.'s rotation in 2023.

Last season saw Syndergaard split time between the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies. He began the year with Los Angeles and pitched well for the club before being traded to Philadelphia in August.

Syndergaard looked like he was regaining some of his old form during his brief tenure with the Angels. The right-hander had a 3.83 ERA and 64 strikeouts over 80 innings in 15 starts.

Things didn't go as well for Syndergaard after he was moved to the Phillies. He posted a 4.12 ERA and averaged just 5.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 10 appearances (nine starts).

The key for Syndergaard in 2022 was staying healthy. He had Tommy John surgery in March 2020 after experiencing elbow discomfort during spring training before the season was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Syndergaard experienced an injury setback early in the 2021 season that delayed his return. The 30-year-old was able to appear in two games out of the bullpen for the New York Mets late in the season.

The Angels signed Syndergaard to a one-year, $21 million contract during the offseason. He did change his pitching repertoire to make up for a dip in velocity.

Per FanGraphs, Syndergaard's fastball averaged a career-low 93.8 mph and he threw it just 47.5 percent of the time. He significantly increased the use of his slider (22.3 percent) and changeup (19.3 percent) to keep hitters off balance.

It's unlikely Syndergaard will ever get back to the form that made him a sensation for the Mets early in his career, the 2023 season could be a better barometer of what kind of pitcher he will be going forward.

The Dodgers taking a low-risk, high-reward bet that Syndergaard can at least become a mid-rotation starter as they pursue a playoff berth.