Suffice to say, the public relations risk that signing Trevor Bauer would bring to a Major League Baseball club doesn't bother the Estrellas Orientales.
After four years of pitching in exile, Bauer will take his talents to the south coast of the Dominican Republic, joining his Diablos Rojos del Mexico teammate Robinson Cano's Estrellas Orientales, where he'll make his winter ball debut in LIDOM.
As was noted yesterday on WorldBaseball.com, the big question is, "Which Trevor Bauer will the Estrellas get?"
At 35, he's now six years removed from winning the National League Cy Young Award during the Covid-19 Pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and five years have gone by since June 28, 2021, when he threw six innings against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium in what was likely his final MLB appearance.
Yes, Bauer did have a good first season abroad pitching for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Nippon Professional Baseball, garnering an All-Star nod, and he won the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol's pitcher of the year award in 2024 when he powered the Diablos Rojos del Mexico to their first of two Serie del Rey titles.
His second go-around in each of those leagues was not nearly as good. His 2.76 ERA in Yokohama in 2023 ballooned to 4.51 in the same league two years later, and his 1.148 WHIP went to 1.369 when he returned to Japan in 2025.
Pitching in the extraordinarily hitter-friendly environment of Mexico City, Bauer's 2.48 ERA, 1.044 WHIP, and league-leading 120 strikeouts in 83 1/3 innings with the Diablos showed exceptional command and ability. But he wasn't nearly as good this year despite maintaining the roughly 5:1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio he had in his first season in Mexico, posting a 4.41 ERA in 32 2/3 innings.
"I've decided to go play in the Dominican Republic. Dominican is so passionate about baseball, it's such a huge part of baseball culture, and I have never been there," Bauer said in a video posted to social media network X in September. "I just can't imagine my baseball career without having gone down to the Dominican and seen it and played there. It looks so fun. I would love to play in the Caribbean Series, but first off, in order to get there, we have to win a championship."
Reports from the Dominican Republic indicated that Bauer will get $55,000 a month to pitch for the Estrellas, with his ever-present content creation team getting full access. Considering that Bauer is expected to report Oct. 24 and not expected to pitch until Nov. 1, that's a high price for a team to pay for six starts.
But the talent is there, and so is the work ethic. Bauer knows the science of pitching as well as anyone on the planet, and his teammates in Mexico City rave about how he's helped make them better pitchers.
At this point, Bauer's almost certainly not going to appear in Major League Baseball again for reasons that have been written about extensively on this website and plenty of others. Pitching in LIDOM will give Bauer a chance to achieve his goal of pitching in the Caribbean Series, and because of the reinforcement rules, his Estrellas won't necessarily have to win the LIDOM title for him to potentially go to Hermosillo for the 2027 Caribbean Series.
Bauer is now pitching for himself, his goals, and his YouTube audience, and his biggest opponent is not the Aguilas, Gigantes, Leones, Tigres, or Toros, but father time, who, as any retired ballplayer or sportswriter with a touch of grey in his beard will tell you, is undefeated.
Where to Watch - The Dominican Republic’s LIDOM and the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico are streamed live on MLB.tv with commentary in Spanish. You’ll need to have a subscription to watch.
Team By Team - Here's a look at each team in LIDOM before the 2026-27 season gets underway on Friday night.
Leones del Escogido
Stadium – Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal, Santo Domingo
Manager – Ramon Santiago (Second Season)
Notable Players – Jose Marmolejos, 1B/OF; Jean Segura, IF; Franchy Cordero, OF; Junior Lake, IF/OF; Yamaico Navarro, IF; Phillips Valdez, P; Junior Caminero, 3B
Last Year – 23-27 Regular Season (first place), 12-6 Round Robin (tied for first place), Won Championship Series 4-1 vs. Toros del Este.
Outlook – It was something of a miracle that the Leones repeated as LIDOM champions, seeing as they scuffled early on in the season, had a managerial change, and barely made the playoffs. But the talent was there, and with 23 of the 28 players that had at least one at-bat for the club last season bringing MLB experience, perhaps it's not all that surprising. Expect reliever Brett De Geus to build on the great season he had with the Toros de Tijuana in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol this summer. Jose Marmolejos will continue to play a key role in the middle of the order. There should be enough talent to get to the round robin, and once they're in, anything can happen. They showed that last year.
Tigres del Licey
Stadium – Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal, Santo Domingo
Manager – Gilbert Gomez (Third Season)
Notable Players – Radhames Liz, SP; Cesar Valdez, SP; J.C. Mejia, RP; Francisco Mejia, C; Gustavo Nunez, IF; Cristian Adames, IF; Jesus Made, IF
Last Year – 21-29 Regular Season (sixth place).
Outlook – The 2025-26 season was anything but glorious for Licey, which finished the year in the basement and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season. For Gilbert Gomez, who is the New York Mets' first base coach, a bad start could mean the end of his tenure with El Glorioso, because the Tigres are the Dominican equivalent of the New York Yankees, including the way their fans refuse to accept mediocrity. The Tigres don't have the offensive firepower of their feline rivals, and you have to wonder if relying on aging starters Radhames Liz, 43, and Cesar Valdez, 41, is a strategy that will hold up. Milwaukee Brewers prospect Jesus Made, 19, will be appointment viewing with Licey, and you never know what trades and reinforcements might bring, and if there's a lockout in MLB, plenty of Dominican-born players will want to play at Quisqueya for the Tigres.
Estrellas Orientales
Stadium – Estadio Tetelo Vargas, San Pedro de Macoris
Manager – Fernando Tatis Sr. (Third Season, 59-41 career)
Notable Players – Josh Lester, IF; Miguel Sano, 1B/3B; Magneuris Sierra, OF; Robinson Cano, 2B/DH; Raimel Tapia, OF; Neftali Feliz, RP; Trevor Bauer, SP.
Last Year – 22-28 Regular Season (fifth place)
Outlook – As mentioned above, Trevor Bauer is the marquee signing of the offseason, but it's hard to say how his game will translate to LIDOM at this point in his career. There's a lot of offensive firepower in San Pedro, but the pitching needs to improve, as the Estrellas allowed the most hits, runs, and the second-most walks in LIDOM last year while also having the highest team ERA.
Aguilas Cibaenas
Stadium – Estadio Cibao, Santiago
Manager – Luis Urueta (Second Season)
Notable Players – J.C. Escarra, C/1B; Aderlin Rodriguez, IF; Jerar Encarnacion, 1B/OF; Andretty Cordero, 1B/3B; Devin Smeltzer, P; Pedro Strop, P; Jorge Tavarez, SP.
Last Year – 32-17 Regular Season (first place), 10-8 Round Robin (third place)
Outlook – The Aguilas had a great regular season, but then had a soft landing in the round robin as other teams got stronger via reinforcements. There's significant power in the lineup, and the black and gold got great pitching last year. It's hard to see them missing the round robin if they return most of their lineup from last year, but their reinforcements for the round robin will be what pushes them to the LIDOM Championship Series - or keeps them from getting there.
Gigantes del Cibao
Stadium – Estadio Julian Javier, San Francisco de Macoris
Manager – Miguel Cairo (First Season)
Notable Players – Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B/3B; Daniel Mengden, SP; Shane Greene, SP; Henry Urrutia, 1B; Kelvin Gutierrez, 3B; Carlos Peguero, LF; Leury Garcia, CF.
Last Year – 24-26 Regular Season (third place), 2-16 Round Robin (fourth place)
Outlook – Former Washington Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo comes to San Francisco this season, and if he gets his club to the round robin, it'd be hard not to improve upon last year's result. Deyvison De Los Santos, who made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins this year, powered the offense with a .309/.365/.475 slash line, five homers and 28 RBIs - in just 42 games. The Marlins can limit his participation, but if there's an MLB lockout, that would change.
Toros del Este
Stadium – Estadio Francisco Micheli, La Romana
Manager – Victor Estevez (First Season, 26-24 career)
Notable Players – Aaron Sanchez, SP; Aaron Brooks, SP; Joe Corbett, RP; Bryan De La Cruz, OF; Webster Rivas, C/1B.
Last Year – 27-22 Regular Season (second place), 12-6 Round Robin (second place), lost Championship Series 4-1 to Leones del Escogido.
Outlook – Bryan De La Cruz led the loop in RBIs last year, and the Toros were the only club with two players with 20 or more RBIs last season, and Aaron Sanchez and Aaron Brooks were two of the league's best starters last year. Joe Corbett is back in the bullpen and has is ready to dance. If the Toros can add another solid arm to the bullpen and a bat to the lineup, that might be enough to get them to Hermosillo, Mexico, in early February.