Pitcher Trevor Bauer officially became a free agent after the Los Angeles Dodgers offered him an unconditional release Thursday.
The team decided last Friday to release the 31-year-old from his contract. The Dodgers then had seven days to attempt to sell the player to another Major League Baseball team.
Bauer’s suspension over domestic violence allegations was reduced by an independent referee on December 22, leaving the 2020 Cy-Young Trophy winner fit for next season.
The former Cincinnati Reds player has not played since July 2, 2021, when he was placed on leave from the Dodgers. The decision came retrospectively to the whistleblowing of a California woman who accused Bauer of sexually assaulting her.
In the last year of a massive three-year, $103 million contract, the athlete will not receive payment for the first 50 games of the 2023 season. However, the Dodgers will be forced to pay him $22.5 million that they owe him during the year.