Trevor Bauer reflects on time in Japan, how it might have revitalized potential MLB future

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In the aftermath of his suspension and release from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Trevor Bauer spent the 2023 seasons where MLB careers go to die.

The 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner signed a one-year contract with the Yokohama DeNa BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. That came about two years after a $102 million deal with the Dodgers.

Bauer was hammered with a 324-game suspension due to allegations of sexual abuse. It was eventually reduced to 194 to reflect the time he missed on administrative leave in 2021 and the games he was suspended for in 2022.

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Yokohama DeNA BayStars pitcher Trevor Bauer delivers a pitch against Hiroshima Carp during a baseball game in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. (Kyodo News via AP)

When the suspension was lifted, the Dodgers opted to part ways with him, making him a free agent. However, he did not sign with an MLB team, and crossed the Pacific Ocean.

For plenty of MLB players, NPB is where players hold out hope to get their careers back on track, but it is often where it finally fizzles out.

For Bauer, however, his career might have been revitalized.

"Going to Japan last year, had a really good year, set some new personal highs in velocity," Bauer told Fox News Digital recently. "My average velocity was second-highest ever in my career, peak velocity was the highest ever."

Fans wearing shirts with the name of baseball player Trevor Bauer and his number, watch his pitching at a stadium in Yokosuka, Japan, on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Stephen Wade)

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