It would be criminal to overlook what (now) 30-year-old right-hander Walker Buehler accomplished during his seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team that drafted him in the first round in 2015 out of Vanderbilt University. Those accomplishments include two All-Star selections and two World Series rings, the second of which a direct result of his epic off-the-bench performance in Game-5 of the 2024 World Series in which he retired all three New York Yankees batters he faced – in order – in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Dodgers their World Series-clinching 7-6 win.
(Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Unfortunately – at least for Walker Buehler fans – Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, the man considered by many to be the best in the business, elected not to extend a one-year / $21.05 million qualifying offer to the extremely popular Lexington, KY native.
…but the Boston Red Sox did.
On Monday, news broke that the Red Sox had matched that Dodgers one-year / $21.05 million qualifying offer to Buehler (plus potential performance incentives), which he and his agents at Excel Sports Management quickly jumped on.
Although this is heartbreaking news for many Buehler fans, putting emotions aside, this could very well end up being among Friedman’s best decisions in his 10 seasons at the Dodgers drawing board. It could also end up being among his worst.
How so, you ask? A valid and legit question.
Despite his 2024 World Series heroics, after returning to action following his second Tommy John surgery in August of 2021, the one-time potential future Hall of Famer posted a career-worst 5.38 ERA, an unattractive 18.6 percent strikeout rate, an equally unattractive 8.1 percent walk rate, and a horrible 1.91 Home Run per nine (HR/9) rate over his 75.1 innings of work in 2024. And even though Buehler and the Dodgers repeatedly insisted that he is now 100 percent healed and 100 percent healthy, it’s tough not to say (or at least think): “For how long this time?”
All of this said, and despite the sour taste that Friedman’s decision may have left in the mouths of Buehler fans, it’s impossible not to wish the very best for Walker with the Red Sox in 2025 – and hopefully beyond.
Play Ball!
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