Trevor Bauer’s controversial past still shadows every conversation about a potential MLB comeback. But in his latest comments, Bauer says any media storm around his return would fade quickly.
Trevor Bauer Views His Return to MLB and the Media Backlash
Bauer has recently expressed frustration with how the media portrays him and other athletes. He believes that media scrutiny about his potential return to MLB would be short-lived. The discussion began when Bauer commented “Interesting stats” on a post analyzing the New York Yankees’ pitching rotation.
A fan countered, highlighting his controversial past, and said that there’s no way any team will sign him to deal with horrible media.
Bauer stated, “No they won’t. There won’t be any horrible media. It’ll be two days of 50/50 mix and then everyone will forget about it and 8 months or so later the team will be in the playoffs contending for a World Series.”
“Its nothing personal but you do have controversy around you and it could absolutely cause some problems with media,” the user replied.
Bauer, a former MLB pitcher and 2020 Cy Young winner, has had a career marked by both on-field success and off-field controversy. Over the years, he has faced serious allegations and disciplinary action, including a lengthy suspension by the MLB for violating its conduct policy. He has also drawn criticism for past public comments on political matters.
Despite not having criminal charges against him, MLB conducted its own investigation, and in April 2022, they suspended Bauer for 324 games for violating the league’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy. This suspension is the longest ever imposed under the policy. Later, it was reduced to 194 games.
In March 2025, U.S. Representative Eric Burlison wrote a letter to Rob Manfred suggesting to him that Bauer’s suspension might be because of his political views.
Dave O’Brien, the Atlanta Braves beat writer, has reported that there’s zero chance that the team might sign him when doing a background check. This further clouds the former MLB pitcher’s future regarding a potential return to MLB.
“The Braves place vetting players ahead of almost any other team I know of, character, clubhouse, all of that No. 1 priority for the Braves, well in addition to talent obviously. They talk about it all the time, clubhouse chemistry and how much vetting they do about players, their background, their clubhouse reputation.
“You’re telling me when they vet Trevor Bauer they’re gonna go, ‘You know what, everybody says get this guy he’s great in the clubhouse, he’s the teammate they want.’ No,” O’Brien reported in his radio spot on April 8, 2024.
Bauer has consistently claimed he’s the target of media sensationalism and says MLB has influenced teams to avoid him.