Trevor Bauer has signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, marking the first time the former National League Cy Young winner will pitch for a U.S.-based team since June 2021. In 2022, MLB suspended him for violating its joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.
The Ducks, based in Central Islip, N.Y., announced the signing on Thursday, noting that Bauer is projected to be their Opening Day starter when their season begins on April 21.
“We are excited to welcome Trevor to Long Island,” said Ducks president/CBO Michael Pfaff in a statement. “His talent and knowledge will be important additions to our ballclub, and we are happy to offer him this opportunity to showcase his talents to MLB clubs while giving fans unprecedented access to Ducks baseball.”
Bauer, 35, spent the 2025 season with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, where he was 4-10 with a 4.41 ERA in 133.2 innings and 21 games. It was his second stint in Japan. He was with the BayStars in 2023 and went 11-4 with a 2.59 ERA in 24 starts.
Bauer spent 2024 pitching for Diablos Rojos del México in the Mexican League. He went 10-0 with a 2.48 ERA for a team that also included former major leaguers Robinson Canó, Franklin Barreto and Jeurys Familia.
Bauer, the No. 3 pick from UCLA by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011, pitched for four teams during 10 seasons in the majors. He made an All-Star team for Cleveland in 2018 and won the NL Cy Young Award during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when he went 5-4 with a 1.73 ERA with 100 strikeouts over 73 innings for the Cincinnati Reds.
Bauer then signed a three-year, $102 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After making 17 starts with the Dodgers, Bauer was placed on paid administrative leave by MLB in July 2021 after a San Diego woman accused him of sexual assault during an encounter that began as consensual and, she said, turned violent. The Washington Post reported similar allegations from two other women that summer. Bauer denied any wrongdoing.
In February 2022, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office declined to press charges against him.
The league later suspended Bauer in April 2022 for two full seasons (324 games) without pay for violating its joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy. The suspension followed “an extensive investigation by MLB’s Department of Investigations,” the league said in a statement.
An arbitration panel later reduced Bauer’s suspension to 194 games — the longest suspension the league has levied since its policy went into place in 2015. The Dodgers released him on Jan. 12, 2023.
Bauer joins a lengthy list of former MLB stars who have attempted comebacks with the Ducks, including Rich Hill, Dontrelle Willis, Daniel Murphy and Eric Gagné.
The Atlantic League is now considered a professional partner league with Major League Baseball, which, according to MLB’s website, provides opportunities “for veteran players who seek a second chance to reach the Major Leagues.”