The Pink Sox are in settlement with right-hander Walker Buehler on a one-year deal value $21.05M, in response to a report from Russell Dorsey of Yahoo Sports. The deal is pending a bodily and contains incentives that would increase the worth past that aforementioned determine.
It’s an attention-grabbing deal for Buehler, because the $21.05M assure completely mirrors that of the qualifying provide. Each Buehler and Pink Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta have been thought-about borderline candidates to be prolonged the QO on the outset of the winter. Finally, the Dodgers declined to increase that provide to Buehler whereas the Pink Sox did so for Pivetta however have been rebuffed. From a monetary and roster perspective, the deal permits Buehler to safe the identical assure he would’ve gotten had the Dodgers prolonged him the QO whereas permitting Boston so as to add a veteran right-hander to its younger rotation on a one-year deal that mirrors what they supplied Pivetta.
The 30-year-old right-hander was among the many league’s most gifted younger starters throughout his rookie season in 2018, and pitched to a wonderful 2.82 ERA (146 ERA+) with a 3.16 FIP in a four-season stretch from 2018-21. That stretch concluded with Buehler ending fourth in NL Cy Younger award voting behind Corbin Burnes, Zack Wheeler and Max Scherzer in a race that seemingly cemented his standing as one of many league’s high aces. That profession trajectory was thrown off the rails early within the 2023 season, nonetheless. Buehler pitched to a comparatively pedestrian 4.02 ERA (101 ERA+) in 12 begins for the Dodgers that yr earlier than occurring the injured record in June and in the end requiring Tommy John surgical procedure.
Buehler wouldn’t return to a serious league mound till Could of 2024, practically two full years later, and struggled badly upon returning. Extra accidents restricted Buehler to simply 16 begins for the Dodgers this yr, and even when he took the mound the right-hander struggled. Buehler pitched to a 5.38 ERA (72 ERA+) with a 5.54 FIP in his ultimate common season in a Dodgers uniform. With that being stated, the righty did handle to finish his season on a constructive notice with a strong 3.60 ERA throughout the membership’s run to the World Sequence championship this yr. After a brutal begin in opposition to the Padres within the NLDS, Buehler fired off 10 scoreless frames between the NLCS and the World Sequence whereas hanging out a 3rd of his opponents.
That mixture of a powerful postseason, a horrible common season, a fraught harm historical past and a dominant monitor report made Buehler probably the most intriguing free brokers in the marketplace this winter and maybe the final word high-risk, high-reward signing. To that finish, it’s maybe no shock that he garnered curiosity from an enormous variety of groups. Along with the Red Sox, Buehler additionally garnered curiosity from the Tigers, Cubs, Mets, Yankees, Athletics and Braves. That wide-ranging curiosity made it obvious early within the winter that Buehler was prone to surpass the one-year, $15M deal MLBTR predicted he would land as a part of our annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents record, the place Buehler was ranked because the No. 37 free agent this winter. It even appeared to open the door to the likelihood the right-hander would be capable of land a multi-year cope with opt-outs. Whereas he in the end settled for a straight one-year pact, his $21.05M wage in 2025 is probably going a lot more healthy than what he would’ve acquired on an annual foundation on a multi-year deal.
For the Pink Sox, the addition of Buehler provides one other arm with loads of upside to a rotation already stuffed with it. If Buehler manages to rebound to the shape he confirmed earlier in his profession, he’ll kind a frightening entrance two within the Boston rotation alongside lefty Garrett Crochet with right-handers Lucas Giolito and Tanner Houck becoming a member of them to create a formidable quartet. The additions of Crochet and Buehler have additionally considerably deepened the group, as right-handers Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Richard Fitts, and Cooper Criswell all determine to be within the dialog for begins as properly after being key items of the membership’s rotation final yr. Additional down the depth chart, the Pink Sox additionally boast attention-grabbing upside performs Quinn Priester and Michael Fulmer.
The addition of Buehler brings the membership’s payroll for 2025 as much as simply over $175M, in response to RosterResource. The determine is considerably greater for luxurious tax functions, nonetheless, sitting just below $212M. That leaves the membership with about $29M to work with earlier than it surpasses the primary luxurious tax threshold. The Pink Sox final surpassed that threshold in 2022, however there’s been no indication from membership brass that the primary threshold represents a tough restrict on their spending amid what has been a reasonably busy offseason. With the rotation seemingly solidified, it appears probably the membership’s priorities will now shift in direction of including a right-handed bat, whether or not that comes within the type of an outfielder reminiscent of Teoscar Hernandez or an infielder like Alex Bregman or Nolan Arenado.
