Mookie Betts defends Trevor Bauer, encourages MLB comeback

Here's something you don't hear every day: a glowing endorsement of Trevor Bauer.

The former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher was released by the club in January of 2023 following Bauer's violation of the league's domestic violence policy and allegations of sexual assault. Bauer served a 194-game suspension and never ended up being charged with a crime; he and one of the four women who accused him of sexual assault settled their legal dispute earlier this year.

Bauer has been playing in Japan this past season and is set to be a free agent this winter. While the bad taste of his controversial stint in the MLB hasn't yet gone away, he just received a surprising amount of support from former teammate Mookie Betts.

Betts and Bauer played together for just three months in 2021 before Bauer was placed on administrative leave pending the MLB's investigation into his alleged crimes.

Betts said he hoped MLB teams would at least consider signing Bauer this offseason. He told the LA Times, "It's something to think about."

Mookie Betts wades into murky waters with Trevor Bauer endorsement

Betts continued, "My experience with Bauer is not anything remotely close to what everyone else’s experience is. I love him. I think he’s an awesome guy. The personal things? I have no control. I have no say. Obviously, nothing ever came from it."

Betts called Bauer an "awesome pitcher" and "great guy" and ended on a less polarizing note, saying that the decision to bring back Bauer "is not as simple as baseball."

The entire Trevor Bauer situation is a greasy can-of-worms topic, but most would laud the Dodgers for doing the right thing by releasing Bauer after his suspension and cutting Bauer's ties to the organization.

No other MLB team signed him amid the controversy, and with not even a year passing since his release, it's unlikely a team would want to wade into those murky waters now. Betts is the first Dodgers player to publicly discuss his thoughts on Bauer. Other team members may know better and keep quiet.