Trevor Bauer leaves Long Island Ducks for Diablos Rojos del México

Trevor Bauer left the Long Island Ducks on June 22 after signing with Diablos Rojos del México, and the move marked the fifth time one of Long Island’s contracts was transferred this season. Bauer finished his Ducks stint with a 5-1 record, a 2.36 ERA, 66 strikeouts and seven walks in 42.0 innings over seven starts, giving the club one of the most visible pitching runs in the Atlantic League this spring.

The numbers explain why the departure landed hard. Bauer threw a seven-inning no-hitter at Lancaster on April 26, then struck out a franchise single-game record 15 batters against Gastonia on May 12. By the time he was named the Atlantic League’s April/May Pitcher of the Month, he had become both a performance driver and a weekly attraction for a Ducks team that had signed him on April 2 and projected him as its opening-night starter for April 21 at Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip.

Long Island also built part of the Bauer package around visibility. The club said he would be mic’d up for games and practices as part of its content plan, and president and chief business officer Michael Pfaff said the idea was to give Bauer a chance to show his talent to major league clubs while giving fans access to a pitcher with real star power. Bauer arrived with the résumé to match the billing: a former first-round pick, third overall by Arizona in the 2011 MLB Draft, and a veteran of 10 big league seasons before stints in Japan and Mexico.

For the Ducks, the transfer leaves another hole in a rotation that had been built around Bauer’s workload and profile. It also fits the broader pattern that has defined Long Island’s 2026 season, with player movement becoming part of the club’s identity as much as the win column. The Ducks are in their 26th Atlantic League season, remain the league’s all-time leader in wins and attendance, and have sold out 721 games in franchise history. Bauer’s departure is one more reminder that even a contender in Central Islip is also a stop on the way to somewhere else.

Diablos Rojos made the destination clear. Bauer is returning to Mexico City after helping the club win the 2024 Liga Mexicana de Beisbol title, when he went 10-0 with a 2.48 ERA and 120 strikeouts and set a league record with 19 strikeouts in a nine-inning game. Diablos said he is expected to make his first start on July 3 at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú against the Piratas de Campeche as the club pushes for a third straight championship.