Jim Armstrong 
Former MLB starter Trevor Bauer pitches for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in an August 2023 game. (©SANKEI)
Read the full story on SportsLook - [NPB NOTEBOOK] Ex-MLB Pitcher Trevor Bauer Returns to the BayStars
Unable to find work with a team in Major League Baseball, former National Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer is rejoining the Yokohama DeNA BayStars for the 2025 Nippon Professional Baseball season, the Central League club announced Monday, January 27.
The 34-year-old right-hander, who played for the BayStars in 2023, has agreed to a one-year contract worth around $6 million USD (nearly ¥930 million JPY), including incentives, according to Kyodo News.
Bauer will bolster a starting rotation as the 2024 Japan Series champions bid to repeat and capture their first CL pennant in 27 years.
"He's a big piece on the team," BayStars manager Daisuke Miura said, according to Kyodo News. "I expect him to be in the starting rotation throughout the season."
Bauer posted an 83-69 record with a 3.79 ERA in 222 Major League Baseball games for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Bauer Pitched for BayStars in 2023
The 2020 NL Cy Young winner joined the BayStars in 2023 after being suspended for a record 194 games for violating MLB's domestic violence and sexual assault policy.
Bauer went 10-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 19 games for DeNA before leaving Japan to seek a new MLB contract. He spent the 2024 season with the Mexican Baseball League's Diablos Rojos and was named the league's pitcher of the year after going 10-0.
There is no doubt Bauer has much to offer in terms of pure pitching talent. Yokohama decided prior to his first stint with the team that any baggage he carries was not a concern.
Bauer, who was never arrested nor criminally charged, has unequivocally denied any wrongdoing.
He will join a potentially crowded rotation that could also include former major leaguers Andre Jackson and Anthony Kay who performed well last season for the BayStars after Bauer departed.
Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.
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Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.
