Jun 18, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks
NEW YORK — Trevor Bauer wants a second chance in the MLB.
The 32-year-old has remained a free agent following the settling of a legal dispute with a woman who accused him of beating and sexually assaulting her in 2021.
Bauer appeared on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom” on Thursday to discuss his mistakes and growth he’s made:
“I made mistakes. I agreed to do things I shouldn’t have done. I was reckless. It hurt a lot of people along the way. I made things very difficult for Major League Baseball, for the Dodgers, my teammates, my friends, family, people close to me. So, I’ve done a lot of reflecting on that and made a lot of changes in my life to address that. I’m not having casual sexual relationships anymore, for example.”
The pitcher detailed several different occasions with reporters and on social media that he wasn’t the proudest of:
“I also made a lot of people in the media mad,” he said. “I was very immature with how I handled things when people would write things about me I didn’t agree with. I should’ve just had a private, adult conversation with someone. I was bullied a lot as a kid. I don’t really want to get into that, but at the time I viewed a lot of my responses on social media as standing up for myself and having a voice. And I think I was just immature.” Bauer expressed “I’ve grown up a lot, for sure. My viewpoints now are drastically different than they were five years ago, 10 years ago. Different things are important to me.”
Bauer, 32, also noted he was bullied as a kid and as a result sometimes would respond in an “immature” way to stand up for himself on social media.
“That’s my goal, is to play baseball here in the United States,” Bauer said. “I’m still one of the best pitchers in the world. I’d like to compete at the highest level. I’m also really passionate about helping people, being good for the game. I think I’ve done a lot of damage, unfortunately, in the first half of my career, and I’d love a second opportunity to do things better.”
The former All-Stars agent has been in touch with a number of different teams, but no contract or spring training invite has presented itself just yet.
