One of the biggest things that happened throughout the course of last MLB season was the fact that Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher and former NL Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer was suspended for 324 games, and that was reduced to 194 games by an independent arbitrator.
What does that mean? Well, Bauer is now officially reinstated and can pitch once again as soon as today. The Los Angeles Dodgers, the team who signed him to a 3-year, $102 million contract back after the 2020 season, now have 14 days to either return him to their 40-man roster or release him to become a free agent once again.
The Dodger did not expect a decision to come until after the New Year, and this was a hold-up in the Dodgers not being too much of a player throughout this free agency period, missing out on some of the more notable names in Major League Baseball since they were unaware if they $32 million remaining on Bauer's contract would still be issued or if the contract would reach its conclusion with Bauer remaining on the suspended list and not be paid for that time.
Bauer served 144 games under the suspension officially, but the arbitrator ruled that he should be given credit for the second half of the 2021 season, where he was placed on the restricted list. Bauer, however, will be docked pay during the first 50 games of the 2023 regular season as a punishment due to the circumstances surrounding the suspension in the first place.
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How is the weekend slate of games going to look?
This weekend we have a good amount of games going on as we have NFL action going on beginning on Christmas Eve with 15 different games. We also have some Christmas Day NBA action, including the Los Angeles Lakers traveling to the American Airlines Center to take on the Dallas Mavericks.
If that is not enough sports action, we have the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, as well as the DePaul Blue Demons taking on the Creighton Bluejays in some NCAAB Men's action. Plus, there are a couple of NCAAF Bowl Games going on, so make sure to keep an eye on Sportskeeda for all the action and what sides to bet on!
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