Why Walker Buehler signed a one-year deal with the Red Sox
The Red Sox added two starting pitchers this offseason in an attempt to build upon the rotation from 2024. After Boston acquired Garrett Crochet in a trade with the White Sox, the team signed free agent righty Walker Buehler to a one-year, $21.05 million deal.
One of the reasons that Buehler was attracted to the possibility of pitching in Boston was the new pitching program that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, pitching coach Andrew Bailey, and director of pitching Justin Willard have put in place.
“I knew guys in Boston threw the least amount of four-seam fastballs,” Buehler said. “You go to a place where that’s kind of how they operate and maybe that’s the next evolution of my career.”
Buehler is hoping to regain his form from the past, particularly when he posted a 2.47 ERA in 33 starts with the Dodgers back in 2021. If he can look like that pitcher and can be dominant like he was in the postseason with the Dodgers in October, Buehler could be in line for a massive payday next offseason.
“When you’re a rookie, you think free agency is going to be 30 teams calling and telling you exactly what they think and giving you an offer every day and raising that offer every other day and whatnot. But that's just not the way it goes,” Buehler said. “There are a lot of talented players in this year’s class, and I kind of understand that. Also, there’s some different ways to look at my situation that our team and I kind of looked at. Do we do a multi-year deal? Do we do a one-year deal? Do we go somewhere we really want to? Do we go somewhere and try and help build it?
“For me, the one year in Boston and joining a winning franchise and a historical franchise and a team that has a real chance to win, I think, was the best option for me.”
Buehler comes to Boston after spending eight seasons in Los Angeles, winning two World Series titles and making two All-Star teams. He had a dominant 2021 campaign where he went 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA, finishing fourth in NL Cy Young voting. Buehler missed the 2023 season and was on the shelf for two full years in total after undergoing his second career Tommy John surgery in Aug. 2022.
The righty returned to the Dodgers last season, posting a 1-6 record with a 5.38 ERA as a starter. Buehler struggled during the regular season with the Dodgers after returning from the injured list with his mechanics.
“I don’t want to oversimplify it, just because it was such a long period of time that I was pitching so poorly,” Buehler said. “But my back leg wasn’t working right in terms of sequencing in it. And there were just some little nuances, stuff that I just hadn’t felt since I had been in the game.
“I think when you get into a rehab scenario, there’s a lot of feels that you have. I’m trying to remember all the stuff I did in a game to get myself right. You have this time period to get healthy, but also to improve. And I think sometimes you make those feels a little bit too real.”
Buehler will look to re-establish his value next season with the Red Sox and hit the open market looking for a mega deal. If Buehler walks in free agency, Boston could get draft pick compensation if they attach the qualifying offer.
