Trevor Bauer Unleashed: 18 Hours of Rants Against MLBPA and Umps

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

He has since played in five different leagues across four different countries.

But he remains outspoken about his exile from the sport.

In an interview with Mike Rodriguez of Rompiendo Sports published on Instagram Thursday, the former Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher laced into former Major League Baseball Players' Association Executive Director Tony Clark.

Bauer blamed Clark's personal entanglements and an internal investigation into Clark's conduct for the union's lack of support.

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

He pitched the first two innings of a game against the Aguilas Cibaenas at Estadio Cibao in Santiago.

He left the game after complaining about the conditions of the pitching mound at the ballpark.

Speaking to Rodriguez, Bauer was asked his thoughts on the MLBPA and why they 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," Bauer said.

"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, after an internal investigation 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 why the union exists in the first place.

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

"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?"

The 18-hour span began with Bauer's start on the mound in Santiago.

He left the game after two innings, complaining about the condition of the pitching mound at Estadio Cibao.

He then gave the interview to Rodriguez, which was published on Instagram.

The interview covered both his issues with the MLBPA and the field conditions.

Bauer's accusations against Clark are serious.

They come after an internal investigation that led to Clark's resignation.

The investigation revealed Clark had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who also worked for the union.

Bauer suggested that Clark's personal problems prevented him from supporting Bauer.

The Cy Young Award winner said Clark feared scrutiny.

Bauer's contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers was the largest in MLB history for a pitcher by annual average value.

He signed it in February 2021.

He was placed on administrative leave in July 2021 after sexual assault allegations.

He was suspended for 324 games in April 2022 under MLB's domestic violence policy.

An arbitrator reduced the suspension to 194 games in December 2022.

The Dodgers released him in January 2023.

No MLB team has signed him since.

Bauer has maintained his innocence throughout.

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

His current team, Estrellas Orientales, plays in LIDOM.

The league is the top professional winter league in the Dominican Republic.

Bauer's outburst in Santiago has drawn attention.

It is rare for a player to publicly criticize the MLBPA so directly.

It is even rarer for a player to name a former union head and accuse him of corruption.

Clark has not publicly responded to Bauer's latest comments.

The MLBPA has not issued a statement.

The internal investigation that led to Clark's resignation was completed earlier this year.

Bauer's claims about Clark's conduct align with the findings of that investigation.

But Bauer's allegation that Clark refused to support him because of personal entanglements is new.

It adds a layer of personal grievance to the existing story.

Bauer's career remains in limbo.

He is 34 years old.

He last pitched in the majors in 2021.

He has not been given a chance by any MLB team since his suspension ended.

His talent is not in question.

He won the National League Cy Young Award in 2020.