If Major League Baseball is exiling Trevor Bauer for his support of Donald Trump, then Michael Kay argues that teams will struggle to build their rosters. As Bauer searches for an MLB team, Congressman Eric Burlison (R-MO) recently sent a letter to commissioner Rob Manfred alleging that Bauer’s allegiance to Trump may be a factor. However, it’s been nearly four years since Bauer last played in the MLB, and according to the voice of the New York Yankees, his political stance likely has little to do with his current situation.
“Trevor Bauer has made all these different excuses about why Major League teams aren’t signing him,” Kay stated on his ESPN New York radio show this week. “The latest one was no one wants to sign him because he supports Donald Trump. And my eyes rolled into the back of my head when I heard that. Because if teams didn’t want players who supported Donald Trump—wait for it—everyone, they’d have a hard time fielding a starting nine. The vast majority of athletes in Major League Baseball are conservative and very much in the corner of the president of the United States.”
Each time a significant starting pitcher gets injured, segments of the fanbase suggest that Bauer could be their solution, including responses to Yankees ace Gerrit Cole’s recent Tommy John surgery. However, all indications point to the Yankees not being interested in signing Bauer, which is unrelated to his political views. Bauer was suspended for 324 games midway through the 2021 season due to sexual assault allegations. While no charges were filed due to lack of evidence, Manfred deemed the case serious enough to issue a historic suspension without pay for violating MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy.
Bauer appealed the suspension, which was reduced to 194 games, allowing for his return in 2023, yet no teams have publicly shown interest in the former Cy Young Award winner. He has since pitched in Japan and Mexico successfully, but it’s evident that his services are unwelcome in Major League Baseball. Teams, including the Yankees, are likely to maintain their distance from Bauer, prioritizing the prevention of potential backlash from signing him, especially considering he has been away from MLB for nearly four years. In a league populated by Trump supporters, it is misguided to assume that Bauer’s political allegiances are the reason for his absence from the league.
