After a brutal regular season, Buehler's elite stuff returned for an October run in 2024
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Walker Buehler, the star pitcher who recorded the final out to seal the Los Angeles Dodgers' World Series victory in 2024, has found a new home in MLB.
Buehler has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox to add some more fire to their rotation for next season.
The deal is worth $21.05 million, according to multiple outlets. Yahoo Sports adds an additional $2.5 million can be made in performance bonuses.
Los Angeles' starting pitcher Walker Buehler holds the World Series trophy during the team celebration at Dodger Stadium. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)
Boston has been loading up on starting pitching this offseason, most notably trading for Garrett Crochet in a deal with the Chicago White Sox earlier. They also signed another left-hander, veteran Patrick Sandoval, on a two-year deal just days ago.
The Red Sox also sport Tanner Houck, who is coming off a breakout year, Lucas Giolito, Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello to round out a good mix of starters for 2025.
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Buehler’s career has been an interesting one to watch, as he was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball from 2018-2021, slicing and dicing hitters as the Dodgers’ potential ace of the future.
However, things took a turn in 2022 when he needed to undergo Tommy John surgery, his second one after needing it in 2015, when the Dodgers made him a first-round pick in the MLB Draft.
Upon returning to the rotation in 2024, Buehler was dreadful, pitching to a 5.38 ERA with a 1.55 WHIP over 16 starts.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Walker Buehler pitches during the first inning against New York in Game 3 of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
But when the postseason rolled around for Los Angeles, Buehler remained in the rotation and seemed to be the pitcher of old, getting his wicked 12-6 curveball to work and dotting his fastball wherever he pleased.
Buehler ultimately closed out the ninth inning of Game 5 in the World Series against the New York Yankees, pitching on one day’s rest after providing five shoutout innings earlier in the series.
All that said, seeing what would happen with the 28-year-old in this free agency period was something baseball experts and fans alike were curious about.
Now, we see the Red Sox providing a good deal where Buehler can prove that what was seen in October is what should be expected moving forward, or at least that’s the plan on a one-year pact.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler pitches during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the 2024 MLB World Series. (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
Buehler owns a career 3.27 ERA over 131 games and 731.2 innings pitched with 754 strikeouts to 190 walks.
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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
