NL West

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.

The San Diego Padres are showing interest in veteran starting pitcher Johnny Cueto, according to FanSided's Robert Murray and the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported the Miami Marlins have weighed a move for Cueto as well and posited the 36-year-old could be a replacement for Pablo López if the 26-year-old gets traded.

Cueto posted his highest WAR (2.4) since 2016 last season, per FanGraphs. He went 8-10 with a 3.35 ERA and a 3.79 FIP in 25 appearances. Although his 5.80 strikeouts per nine innings were a career low, he had his second-lowest walk rate (1.88).

The two-time All-Star could be a good stopgap on a playoff contender or perhaps serve as a trade asset to flip ahead of the 2023 deadline.

The Padres fit firmly in the former category after reaching the National League Championship Series in 2022. They fortified their ranks by signing Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract.

The rotation remains a bit of a question mark, though, considering San Diego is projected to lean on two pitchers, Nick Martinez and the newly signed Seth Lugo, who operated primarily as relievers this past year. Only 38 of Lugo's 275 career appearances have come in a starting capacity.

Whether it's Cueto or another solution, signing a veteran starter makes sense for the Padres.

As Morosi speculated, Miami's interest might hinge on another player going out. The Marlins return their entire starting rotation, a group headlined by National League Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara.

The franchise doesn't have a pressing need for pitching help at the moment, but the situation could change between now and Opening Day.

After losing Carlos Correa earlier this week, the San Francisco Giants are hoping Michael Conforto can provide a spark for their lineup.

Per USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Conforto has agreed to a two-year, $36 million deal with the Giants.

ESPN's Buster Olney added the deal includes an opt-out after the 2023 season.

Conforto profiled as a solid bounce-back candidate in 2022 before he underwent offseason shoulder surgery. His agent, Scott Boras, indicated in May he might sign with a team following July's MLB draft, which would remove any draft-pick compensation from his deal.

Nobody chose to take Boras up on the opportunity.

Even before the shoulder injury, Conforto saw his value take a big hit. The 29-year-old picked a bad time to have one of the worst years of his career.

Unlike new teammate Francisco Lindor, who signed a 10-year, $341 million deal, Conforto headed into Opening Day in 2021 without a new contract. New York Mets team president Sandy Alderson signaled the franchise's desire to keep the 2017 All-Star that March.

"We've had Conforto for many years," Alderson said, per the New York Post's Ken Davidoff. "He has not only become an excellent player, but also part of the leadership group within the clubhouse. He's represented the Mets for a long period of time and represented us well. I think if it's possible, we will make the effort to keep Michael with us."

He added the Mets weren't as aggressive as the Toronto Blue Jays in landing George Springer, who signed with Toronto for six years and $150 million, because a new deal for Conforto was part of the calculus.

On George Springer, Sandy Alderson says it really came down to willing to go five years, but not six. He also adds, "had we signed Springer, probably less likely we'd be able to sign Conforto, for example."

— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) March 1, 2021

MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reported in April 2021 that Conforto might look to sign for $200 million or more, eclipsing the total Springer received.

His performance ultimately didn't help his bargaining position with the Mets or any other team interested in his services.

In 125 games, Conforto had 14 home runs, 55 RBI and a .232/.344/.384 slash line. According to FanGraphs, his .322 weighted on-base average was 30 points lower than his career average (.352).

The Mets offense as a whole was a bit of mess and failed to live up to expectations. Hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant hitting coach Tom Slater were both fired in the middle of the season.

Lindor saw his batting average slip all the way to .230. Dominic Smith slugged .525 and .616 in 2019 and 2020, respectively, before finishing with a .363 slugging percentage in 2021. Jeff McNeil saw his on-base percentage fall from .383 to .317. In short, Conforto wasn't the only one who struggled at the plate.

Prior to 2021, he was a consistent producer in New York's lineup, so that year may be a bit of an outlier. Per Baseball Savant, his .249 expected batting average was only fractionally worse than his career number (.251), while his expected slugging (.428) was a more pronounced drop from the .463 he has posted since 2015.

The shoulder injury is obviously a massive variable. He might have a clean bill of health now, but nobody can know for sure whether he'll rebound. He may never be the same player after the surgery.

As a short-term gamble, signing Conforto is a worthwhile risk for San Francisco because he was so good from 2017-20. His demand for $200 million looks laughable in retrospect, but his market value before the 2021 season arguably wasn't much below that.

The possible upside justifies the Giants' investment.

As much as this move could help San Francisco, there's no salvaging what has been a disastrous offseason for the franchise.

Carlos Rodón, the ace of the staff, signed with the New York Yankees. That came after Aaron Judged opted to re-sign with the Bronx Bombers having entertained overtures from the Giants. The final insult came as Correa left San Francisco at the altar and signed with the New York Mets instead.

Conforto could make a major difference for a team in need of outfield help, but it already feels like the 2023 season is a lost cause for the Giants.

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.

The official statement by MLB on Trevor Bauer’s suspension reduced to 194 games, reinstating him pic.twitter.com/sQs81yHpSn

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 23, 2022

"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.

In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league’s domestic violence & sexual assault policy. I am appealing this action and expect to prevail. As we have throughout this process, my representatives & I respect the confidentiality of the proceedings.

— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) April 29, 2022

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.

The San Francisco Giants were involved in the most shocking offseason turn of events this week when they held up their deal with star shortstop Carlos Correa over a medical concern, opening the door for him to sign with the New York Mets.

On Thursday, ESPN's Jeff Passan shed light on the thought process behind San Francisco's hesitation, revealing the team had concerns over Correa's lower right leg following his physical examination. The 28-year-old had broken his fibula in 2014 on a slide during a minor league game, which led to surgery.

Passan noted that the Giants' fear "concerned the long-term stability of his leg—and the potential for Correa to quickly lose the mobility that won him a Platinum Glove in 2021."

The assertion likely came as a shock to Correa, who had agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal on Dec. 13. Per Passan, his surgically repaired leg was an injury he "hadn't thought about in years, and suddenly it was putting in jeopardy the fourth-largest guaranteed contract in North American sports history."

Correa's agent, Scott Boras, dismissed the notion that an injury from eight years ago could affect his client down the line, pointing out that Correa received a 10-year contract offer from the Minnesota Twins, with whom he played the 2022 season.

"If a team familiar with his medical history was willing to offer Correa a decade-long contract, [Boras'] reasoning went, how bad could the injury really be?" Passan wrote.

The Mets swooped in and signed Correa to a 12-year, $315 million contract. It was another heartbreaker for San Francisco this offseason after its failed pursuit of American League MVP Aaron Judge, who re-signed with the New York Yankees.

The Giants are hoping to bounce back from a disappointing 2022 season in which they finished with an 81-81 record and failed to make the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six years.

After losing out on star shortstop Carlos Correa, the San Francisco Giants are left to scour the open market for free agents who can improve their roster.

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants have "some interest" in veteran outfielder Michael Conforto, who hasn't played since the 2021 season.

The Giants had reached an agreement with Correa on a 13-year, $350 million deal, which would have tied Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper for the longest contract in MLB history. However, Correa's agent told Jon Heyman of the New York Post that San Francisco had a "difference of opinion" regarding Correa's physical examination.

The hesitation from the Giants opened the door for Boras to engage in negotiations with the New York Mets, and Correa was signed to a $12-year, $315 million contract overnight. Slusser noted that Conforto is also represented by Boras.

Conforto underwent surgery on his shoulder in April and decided to sit out the 2022 season with hopes of returning in 2023. The 29-year-old played the first seven years of his career with the Mets after making his major-league debut in 2015. He rejected a qualifying offer from New York after the 2021 season.

The last time Conforto was on the field, he put up some of the worst numbers of his career. In 2021, he hit .232/.344/.384 with 14 home runs and 55 RBI in 125 games.

The Giants aren't alone in their interest in Conforto. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported on Monday that the Mets, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays were all pursuing the veteran outfielder.

Carlos Correa's introductory press conference with the San Francisco Giants was postponed after a "medical concern arose" regarding his physical, according to a report from Ronald Blum of the Associated Press.

Per Blum, "One person confirmed that Tuesday's conference to welcome Correa was put on hold because the sides were awaiting the results of testing. A second person said that a medical issue was flagged during Correa's physical."

Correa, 28, signed a massive 13-year, $350 million contract with the Giants on Dec. 13, one of the biggest moves of the MLB offseason.

He was one of many prominent players to take advantage of free agency; Trea Turner joined the Philadelphia Phillies, Justin Verlander signed with the New York Mets, Xander Bogaerts went to the San Diego Padres and Jacob deGrom inked with the Texas Rangers.

While Correa's talent is unmistakable, injuries have been an issue throughout his career, as he's only played 150 or more games in a regular season once. The fact that the press conference that was set for 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday was canceled will only add greater concern to the proceedings.

I’m told that whatever was or not flagged during his physical, Carlos Correa does *not* have a back issue.

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) December 20, 2022

When healthy, Correa has been excellent throughout his career. The two-time All-Star, one-time champion and 2015 AL Rookie of the Year hit .291 with 22 homers, 64 RBI, 70 runs and a .834 OPS across 136 games in his lone season with the Minnesota Twins last year. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Houston Astros.

For San Francisco, Correa was just about the best consolation prize imaginable after failing to lure Aaron Judge away from the New York Yankees, who grew up as a fan of the Giants. Judge chose to remain in the Big Apple on a massive nine-year, $360 million deal.

But the Giants, looking to bolster their lineup, appeared to have locked down Correa, signed slugger Mitch Haniger and retained Joc Pederson. Now, the Correa addition is in some question.

The San Diego Padres agreed to a deal with free-agent utility man Matt Carpenter on Tuesday, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.

It's a one-year contract with a 2024 player option. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic provided the financial details:

Carpenter is guaranteed $12M and could earn a maximum of $21M over two years if he exercises player option and all of his salary escalators and incentives are earned. https://t.co/wZrJ1NTDCy

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 20, 2022

Carpenter is expected to play first base, left field, right field and designated hitter and possibly backup at second and third base as well, per Cassavell.

The 37-year-old enjoyed a renaissance season last year thanks to 15 home runs and 37 RBI in just 47 games last season for the New York Yankees. The three-time All-Star hit .305 and posted a 1.138 OPS as well.

It was a shocking turnaround after Carpenter hit just .176 (.605 OPS) with seven home runs and 45 RBI in 180 games for the St. Louis Cardinals over the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

He signed as a free agent with the Texas Rangers in March but did not make the major league roster. Carpenter hit .275 with six home runs in 21 games for the Triple-A Round Rock Express before the Yankees signed him to a major league contract in May.

Carpenter tirelessly worked to remake his swing, making multiple stops across the United States in hopes of doing so, per Rosenthal.

He got the job done and helped the Yankees win the American League East crown en route to a 99-win season.

Unfortunately, Carpenter's regular season was cut short after he suffered a broken left foot fouling off a pitch Aug. 8. He was able to return for the playoffs, though.

Carpenter is going from one contender to another as he joins a Padres squad that reached the National League Championship Series last season after upsetting the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers.

His inclusion on the roster helps keep the Padres in contention for the pennant, especially after the team added Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts in free agency.

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.