Where Is Trevor Bauer Now? His Career in Japan, MLB Exile, and Social Media Drama
"I’m the second most popular player and the most knowledgeable pitcher on the planet."
Published Jan. 30 2025, 12:42 p.m. ET
Trevor Bauer’s baseball journey has been anything but ordinary. As a former Cy Young winner, he’s gone from MLB stardom to MLB exile while playing in Japan. Furthermore, he’s also no stranger to making bold claims on social media that often land him directly in the headlines. Over the years, Trever has continued to insist he can still dominate at major league levels even though no MLB team seems to be interested in signing him.
Where exactly is Trevor Bauer now? Is he still trying to get back into the MLB? Has he moved on? More importantly, what kind of drama has he stirred up on social media? Keep reading for all the details.
Where is Trevor Bauer now? Did he retire?
Trevor isn’t retired. He’s still pitching — just not in MLB.
After his suspension and release from the Los Angeles Dodgers, he took his career overseas. He signed with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league and put up solid numbers in 2023. Hoping to attract interest from MLB, he played in Mexico’s Liga Mexicana de Béisbol in 2024. In 2025, Trever signed a new deal with Yokohama after not receiving an offer from any MLB teams.
Despite this, Trevor hasn’t given up on returning to MLB. He’s been vocal about his frustrations, even suggesting that the league is preventing teams from signing him. Whether that’s true or not, no team has taken a chance on him as of 2025.
Does Trevor have a World Series ring?
With all the boasting Trevor does on social media about his talent and skill, MLB fans often wonder if he ever secured a World Series ring. Despite being one of the league’s best pitchers in his prime, he never managed to win a World Series championship.
His best shot for a ring came in 2020 when he won the National League Cy Young Award with the Cincinnati Reds. Unfortunately, the Reds did not make it very far in the playoffs. Trevor did not join the Dodgers until 2021 after they won the World Series in 2020. His career took a sharp turn after that, and he never had another opportunity to pitch in the Fall Classic again. Trevor, however, continues to hold out hope he’ll get another chance in the MLB one day.
Is Trevor returning to MLB?
Trevor has made it crystal clear via social media — he wants back in. The question is, does MLB want him?
He claims that teams have told him they’re interested but that signing him is "an MLB decision" rather than a team decision. The league hasn’t commented on this, but the fact remains: No team has signed him since his suspension.
In a move that raised eyebrows, Trevor took to social media in January 2025 and offered to play in MLB for free just to prove he’s still elite. He wrote:
"I’m the second most popular player and the most knowledgeable pitcher on the planet. I’m also a top 10 pitcher on the planet and willing to play for $0."
This sparked a lot of debate. Is he still a top-tier pitcher, or is his confidence getting in the way of reality? Sports Illustrated reported it was an empty promise on his part as Trevor can’t legally play for free. At the very least, he would be required to take the minimum pay of $760,000.
Chipper Jones trolled Trevor on social media.
Trevor’s self-promotion didn’t go unnoticed. Hall of Fame third baseman Chipper saw the post and couldn’t resist taking a jab. He responded on X (formerly Twitter): "The comedic aspect of this app is what I'm here for!"
Fans were quick to react, with some backing Trevor and others siding with Chipper. It was another reminder that Trevor’s presence in baseball right now isn’t on the mound — it’s in the headlines.