Trevor Bauer Rips MLBPA, Tony Clark, and Field Conditions in LIDOM

LIDOM: In Span of 18 Hours, Trevor Bauer Blasts MLBPA, Tony Clark In Interview and Rips Field Conditions In Santiago.

Trevor Bauer hasn't pitched in Major League Baseball since 2021.

Since then, he has played in five different leagues across four different countries.

But he remains one of the most outspoken figures in the sport.

In an interview with Mike Rodriguez of Rompiendo Sports published on Instagram Thursday, Bauer unloaded on former MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark.

Bauer blamed Clark's personal entanglements and the investigation into Clark's conduct for the union's lack of support during his exile.

The interview was released the day after Bauer pitched for the Estrellas Orientales in LIDOM, the Dominican Republic's professional winter league.

He started a game against the Aguilas Cibaenas at Estadio Cibao in Santiago.

Bauer left the game after just two innings.

He complained about the condition of the pitching mound at the ballpark.

Speaking to Rodriguez, Bauer was asked directly why the MLBPA didn't advocate for his return to MLB.

The UCLA alum pulled no punches.

"You've seen what problems Tony [Clark is] having right now, taking money from players and funneling it to his family members and his own problems," Bauer said.

"I'd imagine he didn't really want to stand behind me because he didn't want people looking into him for what he was doing off of the field."

"Of course, it all came to light anyway."

Bauer then described a phone conversation he had with Clark.

"I talked to him on the phone and I was like, Tony, I am the reigning Cy Young Award winner."

"I signed the biggest contract in the history of the sport for a pitcher on annual average value."

"Like, I am at the top of the game."

"You guys can't come out as a union and say, 'Hey, Trevor Bauer should be playing Major League Baseball?'"

"And he said, 'No, we can't make that statement because if we support you, we're inadvertently not supporting a player whose job you would take,'" Bauer claimed.

Clark played 15 Major League seasons before serving as the MLBPA's executive director from 2012.

He took over after the death of Michael Weiner.

Clark resigned on Feb. 17, 2026.

His resignation followed an internal investigation that revealed Clark had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who also worked for the union.

After Bauer said Clark told him the union wouldn't stand by him, Bauer said he questioned the former union head about the very purpose of the organization.

"Like, Tony, I'm the best pitcher in the game right now."

"I would have a job if not for this."

"I would take someone's spot."

"You can't support me?'"

"He goes, 'No, we can't support you.'

"We won't put a statement out.'"

"And it's like, 'OK, so what the fuck is the point of the union?'"

"If you're not going to support the best player in the game, like, what are you there to do?"

"Steal money from players and give it to your family members and take it for yourself?"

"Like, what is the union supposed to do."

"Like, protect players?'"

Bauer's comments come at a time when the MLBPA is already under scrutiny following Clark's resignation.

The union has not publicly responded to Bauer's latest interview as of this writing.

Bauer won the National League Cy Young Award in 2020 with the Cincinnati Reds.

He signed a three-year, $102 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in February 2021.

That deal was the largest average annual value ever for a pitcher at the time.

He was placed on administrative leave in July 2021 after a woman accused him of sexual assault.

The accusation was investigated by MLB and the Pasadena Police Department.

Prosecutors in California declined to file charges in 2022.

An arbitrator reduced Bauer's suspension from 324 games to 194 games in December 2022.

The Dodgers released him in January 2023.

No MLB team has signed him since.

Bauer has pitched in Japan, Mexico, Venezuela, and now the Dominican Republic.

His current team, Estrellas Orientales, is competing in the LIDOM playoffs.

The mound conditions at Estadio Cibao remain an issue that Bauer publicly criticized.

He did not return to the game after his two-inning start.

It is unclear whether he will make his next scheduled start.

The interview with Rodriguez has been widely shared on social media.