EXCLUSIVE: Congressman Calls Out MLB, Rob Manfred Over Trevor Bauer Absence, Suggests Politics Involved

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred suspended pitcher Trevor Bauer in 2021 over multiple sexual assault allegations. The key word is "allegations" as Bauer has since cleared his name. 

But he still hasn't returned to Major League Baseball, previously claiming that the league is blocking him from making a comeback. 

Bauer's inability to land with an MLB team is strange since he won the N.L. Cy Young Award in 2020 and had a 2.59 ERA in 2021 prior to his suspension. Plus, no team has enough starting pitching. Ever.

Trevor Bauer has remained out of Major League Baseball since 2021, when he was suspended by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

(Carlos Santiago/Eyepix Group/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Now, a member of the United States Congress is getting involved. Representative Eric Burlison (R-MO) sent a letter to Manfred questioning whether Bauer's lack of a second chance is tied to the pitcher's previous support of President Donald Trump, OutKick has exclusively learned. 

"Mr. Bauer was suspended for 324 games; the longest non-lifetime suspension in the history of the league - despite the fact that the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office declined to pursue criminal charges against him, citing insufficient evidence," Burlison wrote. 

Burlison noted that the league eventually reduced the suspension to 194 games, after Bauer was cleared by the judicial system, but suggested that Manfred and MLB are trying to keep him out of the league, "effectively making his 194-game suspension a lifetime one." 

Burlison asked Manfred whether Bauer's previous comments – specifically those in support of President Trump and those in opposition to MLB DEI policies – play a role in his continued absence.

Representative Eric Burlison (R-MO)