When free from injury and controversy, Trevor Bauer can be one of the most dominant pitchers in the entire MLB. Still, despite his considerable talent on the field, it's difficult to overlook what he was deemed guilty of. And now that Bauer's suspension has been reduced down to 194 games, much to the anger of fans everywhere, the Los Angeles Dodgers now have a tough decision to make regarding Bauer's status on their official roster.

With Bauer now reinstated from suspension, the Dodgers only have until January 6, 2023 to decide whether or not to keep the much-maligned pitcher or cut him loose, per Jon Heyman. Per MLB rules, they only have 14 days to reinstate the 31-year old from the restricted list.

The Dodgers will certainly weigh the benefits of keeping Bauer against its costs. For starters, should they release Bauer, they would still have to pay the outstanding balance of his contract. However, the PR hit of keeping Bauer may not be worth the headache.

Perhaps one of the routes the Dodgers could take is to re-activate Bauer with the intention of shopping him around, although it's unclear which team would be bold enough to take on the controversial hurler.

The league placed Trevor Bauer on administrative leave on July 2021 after a woman accused him of assault during a sexual encounter a month prior. Back in 2020, Bauer was already in hot water after a woman from Ohio alleged that he “choked” and “struck” her during sex without consent in 2017.

On February 2022, the Los Angeles DA office decided not to press charges against Bauer after a five-month review of evidence. However, the MLB retained the right to punish Bauer however they deemed fit. Two months later, the league handed Bauer a record 324-game suspension that was only recently reduced.

For his troubles, Trevor Bauer would be docked $37.5 million in total salary. That figure includes the $10.9 million loss he would incur for the first 50 games of the 2023 season, to go along with all of the money he's already lost in the time he's served for his suspension. For his part, Bauer has always maintained that the aforementioned sexual encounters he had were “wholly consensual”.