Trevor Bauer returns to Japan, still dogged by the past in U.S.

TOKYO — I read with interest the recent signing of Trevor Bauer, 33, by the Japan champion Yokohama BayStars for the 2025 season on a one-year deal for $6 million. In case you don’t know the name Trevor Bauer, he is one of the best pitchers in the world. Three years ago he was one of the highest-paid players in MLB, earning $45 million a season from the Los Angeles Dodgers. But a sex scandal caused him to be banished from the MLB and relocated to Japan where he posted a 10-4 mark with an ERA of 2.76 and 130 strikeouts across 130 innings, for the BayStars, one of the best marks in the NPB.

In 2024, he moved to Mexico where he finished with a 10-0 record with a 2.48 ERA for the Diablos Rojos of the Mexican Baseball League and was voted best pitcher in the circuit, despite various health issues which he detailed on YouTube including Guiillain-Barre syndrome which was caught early and subsequently treated with immunoglobulin therapy. Rejoining the BayStars, he figures to be at the top of the rotation and a key part of the Yokohama’s attempt to repeat as Japan Series winners.