Red Sox (offseason) notebook: Betts bets on Bauer

Mookie Betts announced himself as an unexpected advocate for former Dodgers teammate, Trevor Bauer, to get another chance in Major League Baseball.

“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,” the former Red Sox star told the LA Times while at the World Series filming content for the league. “He’s an awesome pitcher. He’s a great guy.”

Betts and Bauer were teammates on the Dodgers in 2021, after Bauer signed a three-year, $102 million contract. That June, a San Diego woman sought an order of protection against Bauer, and alleged that he’d committed sexual battery against her on two occasions. MLB placed him on administrative leave – and extended said leave nine times – as they investigated.

In April 2022, the league handed down an unprecedented 324-game suspension, more than twice the length of the previous record, under their Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse policy. After an independent arbiter reduced Bauer’s suspension to 194 games last December, the Dodgers released him. When no MLB team signed him, he spent the season pitching in Japan.

Bauer recently settled the sexual assault case in question, but he’s also been accused of similar behavior by three women in different states. Not long after the first woman came forward, news broke that an Ohio woman had obtained an order of protection against the pitcher in June 2020, for a similar incident in 2017. The Washington Post published disturbing messages Bauer allegedly sent the woman. “I don’t feel like spending time in jail for killing someone,” read one. “And that’s what would happen if I saw you again.”

The Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds, whom Bauer pitched for during those years, denied having any knowledge of the situation.

In June of this year, an Arizona woman filed a lawsuit against the pitcher, alleging that, in 2020, he’d raped her while holding a knife to her throat, choked her until she passed out, and that she became pregnant. She‘d previously filed a complaint against him in December regarding the incident, but no charges were filed. He countersued in April and claimed the encounter was consensual. While he alleged that the woman tried to extort him and that she terminated the pregnancy, he admitted to paying her $8,761 for “expenses.” Her complaint states that she miscarried.

Long before any of this began, Bauer already had a reputation for online harassment of women in sports. In the late 2010s, he made it a point to send his hundreds of thousands of followers after female reporters and fans, sometimes in retaliation for criticism, other times unprovoked. In 2019, the then-27-year-old pitcher spent over 24 hours harassing a college student because she tweeted that he was her “least favorite person in all sports.” He tweeted at and about her 80 different times, continuing to target her long after she stopped responding and blocked him.

Betts’ show of support for Bauer is a sharp pivot from several previous reports which described a disgusted Dodgers clubhouse that wanted nothing to do with their disgraced teammate. It was also met with scorn by many baseball fans on social media, who pointed out that, of course, Betts’ experience with Bauer wouldn’t have been “anything remotely close to” those of the women accusing him of assault.

Meet the press

The Red Sox are waiting until Thursday, an off-day in the ongoing World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers, to officially introduce Craig Breslow as their new chief baseball officer.

Monday was the 10th anniversary of the Red Sox winning it all in 2013, a championship to which Breslow was instrumental. Serendipitously, his reintroduction falls on Nov. 2, the 10th anniversary of the World Series parade.

Around the league

ALCS MVP Adolis García and Max Scherzer, who left Monday night’s start with back tightness, will miss the remainder of the World Series due to a strain and back tightness, respectively, the Texas Rangers announced on Tuesday evening.

In his first-ever postseason, García’s bat has impressed some of baseball’s greatest hitters, including David Ortiz. Over 15 games, the 30-year-old Cuban outfielder hit .323 with a 1.108 OPS, eight home runs (tied for second-most in a single postseason in MLB history) and 15 RBI. Losing him is a crushing blow to the Rangers, who are vying for their first championship.

Aaron Judge still hasn’t played in a World Series, but he can add the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award to his already-crowded trophy cabinet. After winning the American League MVP award and breaking fellow Yankee Roger Maris’ AL Home Run record in 2022, Judge was singled out as the Major Leaguer “who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field” this year.

The Yankees’ newest captain received baseball’s “highest honor” (commissioner Rob Manfred’s words) for his All Rise Foundation, which supports youth in New York and the San Joaquin and Fresno, California counties where he grew up.

After letting the Giants hire Bob Melvin, the Padres are in search of a new manager for the seventh time in nine years. According to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, Benji Gil, Phil Nevin, and Eric Chavez are among the external candidates, but former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt and Ryan Flaherty are still the favorites.