Albert Pujols sees only one clear way for Trevor Bauer to pitch in the majors again.
As Bauer pitches on Long Island with the Ducks of the Atlantic League, future Hall of Famer Pujols believes the outspoken Bauer must stop bashing Major League Baseball and make amends with the league if he has any hope of returning.
“I think he needs to clear up the issues with MLB first before he gets to this level. I think one thing with Trevor Bauer was that he went against MLB, and you can’t go against the hands that really feeds you,” Pujols said to Fox News Digital.
“If he could do that, though, teams should jump at the opportunity.”
Bauer, 35, has not appeared in the majors since June 28, 2021, when he was placed on administrative leave after sexual assault allegations emerged against the 2020 National League Cy Young winner.
The allegations led MLB to impose a historic 324-game suspension against Bauer, which was later reduced to 194 contests after an appeal.
No criminal charges were filed against Bauer, and he maintains his innocence, claiming the encounters with multiple accusers were consensual.
After he signed with the Ducks, marking his first opportunity to pitch on American soil since the emergence of the sexual assault allegations, Bauer reiterated a belief that he has been blackballed by MLB.
“I could put up a 0.00 ERA and strike out more people than Mason Miller and it wouldn’t change anything,” Bauer said. “I’ve known what this is the entire time. I’m blackballed. I’m not allowed to play Major League Baseball. … I’ve literally offered to pay my entire salary back and play for zero dollars.
“When I say there’s nothing I can do, that everything is completely out of my control, I have offered everything. It just doesn’t matter.”
Pujols, who was briefly teammates with Bauer with the Dodgers in 2021, added that the right-hander’s ability is not the reason for his lack of MLB opportunities.
“Who doesn’t want to have Trevor Bauer on their team? Of course,” Pujols added. “But I think at the end of the day, you know, he’s still trying, but he needs to clear out what his issue is with MLB.”
Over the past few seasons, Bauer continued his career internationally, pitching in Japan and Mexico, to mixed results.
He spent 2023 with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars before earning Pitcher of the Year in the Mexican Baseball League in 2024.
Last season, he returned to NPB with the BayStars, putting up a 4.51 ERA, the worst of any starter in the league.
In two outings with the Ducks, Bauer has shown flashes of his dominance, recording eight strikeouts across four innings and then tossing a seven-inning no-hitter in his most recent outing.
After the win, he took to social media to needle critics who claim he’s past his physical prime.
“I just want to be around American fans and enjoy playing baseball in my home country because I’ve not been allowed to play baseball in my home country for years for no good reason,” Bauer said. “So instead of getting bitter about it, I want to come and enjoy the fans that are here and feel like I am accepted in American baseball.
“I have a huge, passionate fan base. Logically I know that I’m loved by the American baseball community, but once you get to the MLB level and the large brands in baseball and the media, they just hate me. So it’s easy to feel like I’m an outcast here and I don’t want to feel like that.”
