Dodgers postseason hero finds a new home in Boston on a deal that matches the terms of the qualifying offer that Buehler did not receive from LA.
A rough first year back from his second Tommy John surgery ended in triumph for Walker Buehler, who found his way in October and closed out the Dodgers’ World Series win. The veteran right-hander parlayed that late run into a new free agent contract with the Red Sox for one-year and $21.05 million, per Russell Dorsey of Yahoo Sports and several others.
That contract matches the qualifying offer that the Dodgers did not extend to Buehler in November. That means they won’t get any draft-pick compensation for the right-hander signing with Boston.
Buehler went nearly 23 months between major league starts while returning from his 2022 Tommy John surgery, the second of his career. He returned to the Dodgers in May, but it was a bumpy ride throughout the season that also included another 10 weeks on the injured list with hip inflammation that coincided with making mechanical changes to his delivery.
During the regular season, Buehler had a 5.38 ERA and 4.78 xERA in 16 starts, with 64 strikeouts and 28 walks in 75⅓ innings. He then allowed six runs in the second inning of Game 3 of the NLDS, a disastrous frame that featured poor defense behind him.
Buehler recovered to pitch three more scoreless innings in that game as the Dodgers clawed to within a run, and he didn’t allow a run for the remainder of the postseason. He tossed four scoreless innings in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Mets, then upped that to five shutout innings against the Yankees in Game 3 of the World Series. Buehler especially found his fastball again in those last two starts, striking out 11 of 36 batters faced (30.6 percent).
Two days after his World Series start, Buehler came out of the bullpen to close out the Game 5 clincher with a perfect ninth inning, striking out two more to win his second championship. The right-hander cemented his big-game status, improving his career postseason numbers to a 3.04 ERA with 114 strikeouts in 94⅔ innings over 19 games, including 18 starts.
The 30-year-old Buehler, who was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round in 2015 out of Vanderbilt, has a 3.27 ERA and 3.50 FIP in his career, with 754 strikeouts and 713⅔ innings. The two-time All-Star received Cy Young Award votes in two seasons, including a fourth-place finish in 2021.
Now, he moves on to a new chapter in his career with the Red Sox. Buehler will not get a return trip (and thunderous ovation) at Dodger Stadium in 2025 unless he switches teams or bot the Red Sox and Dodgers make the World Series. The Dodgers’ series against the Red Sox in 2025 is at Fenway Park from July 25-27.