Trevor Bauer questions fairness as MLB forgives Pete Rose but not him

On Wednesday, May 15, 2025, ex-Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Trevor Bauer spoke up on social media. He did not mince words. His message was with questions and frustration. He delivered his statement one day after MLB took a big action with another ex-player, Pete Rose. What Bauer said, however, made the fans and the critics talk.On Tuesday, May 14, 2025, MLB formally took Pete Rose and a number of other deceased players off its list of players eligible for future reinstatement. The action was generally regarded as an attempt to put an end to longstanding arguments about punishments in the past. It also caused reactions of which one of the strongest was that of Trevor Bauer.The 33-year-old right-hander, who hasn't pitched in MLB since 2021, tweeted on Wednesday. He said, "So, since Pete is welcome back now, does that apply to everyone who has been blackballed? Or do you really have to be guilty of something to qualify for that?" Bauer's tweet quickly went viral.Bauer is presently playing in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League. He has spent the last four years away from MLB, primarily for being accused of sexual assault in 2021. He was administratively placed on leave by MLB at the time, and subsequently suspended for 324 games. Following an appeal, the suspension was cut down to 194 games. Yet, no team in MLB has signed him even after he was made eligible to play.Trevor Bauer thinks the actual reason teams have not signed him is not regarding his talent or pay. In August of 2024, he stated on X that an MLB team informed him directly that whether to sign him wasn't their decision, it was MLB's. He continued, "One told me I was too expensive when I was willing to play for the league minimum. Another told me that they had kept secrets in the past and did not want publicity."A spokesperson from MLB told Mail Sport, "Trevor Bauer served out the full length of his suspension and is a free agent eligible to sign a contract with any club.”Bauer has never been arrested. In 2022, Los Angeles prosecutors announced they had insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges. Bauer sued the accuser in April of that year. Yet another woman, in Columbus, Ohio, accused him of assault. Bauer's denial was that their affair was "casual and wholly consensual."Bauer pitched for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan in 2023. Early in 2024, Bauer pitched briefly for Diablos Rojos del México. His MLB future far from certain.Also Read: Trevor Bauer Disses Diamondbacks For Rejecting His Signing With A 'Too Expensive' Reason Tag