Why Didn’t The Dodgers Bring Back Walker Buehler?
The news of Walker Buehler agreeing to a one-year, $21.05 million deal with the Boston Red Sox might still sting for some Los Angeles Dodgers fans, but reality has a way of putting things into perspective
Buehler has been one of the consistent arms in the starting rotation since his first full season in 2018. Now, he will be wearing a different uniform for the first time in his professional career.
Read more: Dodgers’ Walker Buehler to Sign $21.05 Million Deal With AL Rival: Report
While the right-hander was considered a World Series hero when he recorded the final three outs of Game 5 against the New York Yankees, the Dodgers were ready to move on. No hard feelings, but there is simply no room for him in the starting rotation going forward.
The Dodgers are predicted to use a six-man rotation in 2025 with the return of Shohei Ohtani to the mound and the addition of Blake Snell. Plus, the club is in the running for Japanese free agent Roki Sasaki.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow are solidified in the rotation. Tony Gonsolin wrapped up the season in good health and might be a viable rotation piece. Dustin May’s future role remains uncertain, and a shift to the bullpen could prove beneficial for him. Young arms like Bobby Miller, Ben Casparius, Landon Knack, and Justin Wrobleski are also expected to compete for opportunities. Then there is Clayton Kershaw, who is likely to rejoin the team eventually.
With all of those starters in mind, the Dodgers needed to reflect on the regular season which didn’t go well for Buehler. Coming off his second Tommy John surgery, Buehler had difficulty recapturing his pre-injury form throughout much of 2024. Over 75.1 innings, he posted a career-worst 5.38 ERA, a 4.68 expected ERA, an 18.6 percent strikeout rate, an 8.1 percent walk rate, and allowed 1.91 home runs per nine innings. Although his fastball velocity returned to its 2021-22 levels, the sharpness in generating swings and misses and inducing chases was noticeably absent.
The Dodgers didn’t extend a qualifying offer to the right-hander, giving him the opportunity to explore free agency for the first time. It turns out that the contract Buehler signed is for the exact amount the qualifying offer would have been. Buehler’s regular season performance just didn’t warrant that kind of payday from Los Angeles.
Although Buehler isn’t a Dodger anymore, he will forever be one of the franchise’s postseason heroes.
More news: Dodgers GM Reveals Latest Update on Clayton Kershaw
Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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Sure hope they know something that we don’t. Like Sasaki is coming or C Burnes is coming otherwise they should have kept him for a qualifying offer. Also need T Scott to keep up with what the Yankees have done! The team is great but needs to constantly improve or get surpassed. Lets Geaux Dodgers!
I think the Dodgers made a mistake. Yes, he had a below average season, agreed. But in the playoffs when it matters after the horrible start against the Padres he stepped up big time. In the next three games, 10 innings pitched, 5 hits, 13 strikeouts, and shut the door on the Yankees. His last 3 games got him another year in my mind. Big game pitcher, I would start him over any Dodger current pitcher in a big game. May, Goslin, Knack, Miller, and Glasnow. All uncertainty, even Yamamoto had a horrible start before being lights out.
100 per cent agree. It used to be 8 or 9 starters at spring training by end of year maybe 3 or 4 can pitch in playoffs. Bueler signing was a no brainer. Worry about too many starters by 3 months in we’ll needhim. For sure in the playoffs. With all the injuries you need 10-12 guys competing. Bobby Miller is not gonna cut it. Two years at 45 million with the second year an option for Walker.
The Dodgers have a strange way of showing appreciation toward Beuhler. They let him go. He’s the best post season pitcher they have. All he did was clinch the World Series for you. They wouldn’t have won without him. I’m really going to miss him. He had a little bit of Don Drysdale in him.
I agree with the Drysdale comment, but I do appreciate that they didn’t saddle him with a qualifying offer – that would have limited his prospects somewhat with a draft choice forfeiture attached. They did the same thing with Kershaw but for a different reason – leave him free to control his time and nature of return. I genuinely liked Buhler and wish him the very best. On paper at the moment we’re in a good position, one that would only be improved if Sasaki signs. I suspect Buhler’s role (had he stayed) would have been a diminished one and not consistent with what he’d expect.
You made some good points, but when a guy struggles like Buehler did doing the reg season & then just pitches “lights out’ in the post season. That guy IMO deserves to be rewarded not tosses aside like some middle of the road pitcher. His total post season record is one of the very best. I wonder if there’s any other pitcher on the Dodgers now that can match that. Don’t think so. Walker was one of a kind. As Kershaw said of him, “Nobody ever doubted Walker’s confidence.” I’m really, really going to miss him.
WB”’s playoffs had great moments, I have great respect for the entire Dodgers organization, which has created the best team in baseball, and are without question entitled to the benefit of the doubt. To those who believe that WB should have gotten a reward for the playoffs, , remember that the Dodgers paid him when he wasn’t worth a tinker’s damn and but for the wave of injuries, WB doesn’t even make the playoff roster. I’ll treasure the last strike against Lindor in the NCLS and the 9th inning of the World Series, but I can’t get mad at the Dodgers for letting him go.
I agree with the other 2 comments. With looking at all of the injuries and vagaries and inconsistencies, I honestly think you can’t have too many starting pitchers.
And i think you can’t have too many “for all the money” pitchers. The Post Season is a different animal. Not every body can handle it, much less dominate it. Look at Walker’s Post Season record. One of the greatest of all time. The Dodgers can’t use a guy like that? Reminds me of the time the Dodgers didn’t sign Tommy John because he wanted 3 years instead of 2. Newt season he won 20 or 21 games for the Yanks! Greatness should be rewarded not ignored!
Don’t understand why the loyalty just wasn’t there for a pitcher who won a Ring for you after how many trips? You failed so many times so you would have given up on bulldog as well in this era? You really wanna keep Kershaw in the mix when it’s clearly he is not the same . Your gonna regret just like you did with Pedro. History will repeat itself. Very Sad a a Dodger fan l..
Don’t understand why the loyalty just wasn’t there for a pitcher who won a Ring for you after how many trips? You failed so many times so you would have given up on bulldog as well in this era? You really wanna keep Kershaw in the mix when it’s clearly he is not the same . Your gonna regret just like you did with Pedro. History will repeat itself. Very Sad a a Dodger fan.
Buehler finally – FINALLY – was healthy and we saw what he could do at the end of the season and in the high pressure situations in the playoffs. Anyone who whines about him having 2 TJ surgeries seems to conveniently forget Ohtani has had 2 as well.
Buehler also said he would have signed with a QO from LA. I love Kershaw, but he’s nowhere near as good these days and he declined his player option, yet they will bring him back and let Buehler walk? I hate this shortsighted move.
Buehler with two TJ’s is probably not a fair comparison to Ohtani who is a physical specimen almost without peers. They are about the same age, otherwise, Ohtani has legs to compensate and more height. Buehler is a skinny dude.
Completely agree with your TJ comparisons, but for sentimental reasons, I, too, would have loved to see Buehler return. He definitely dominated when we needed him to post season; however, with that being said, I believe the Dodgers’ decision was a sound Business one.
what about Gavin Stone? and that other young lefty who needs TJ and will miss all of 2025? as for Walker, he is way too injury prone (2 TJ’s) and thus risky for Dodgers to re-sign him. don’t make the same mistake twice.
Your point is lost because they paid Ohtani $700M and he’s had 2 TJ surgeries, 2018 and 2023.
The Ds did Buhler a favor by not extending a qualifying offer, this was better for him. If they had, he would have been basically forced to take it or any other team would have had to give up a draft pick. From what people have said, he would have taken it begrudgingly and maybe not have been all in next year. His deal with the Bosox is one year, maybe the Ds bring him back in a year or two, if he gets it together.
One other thing people don’t realize, is that his playoff performance may have been a one off. The history of pitchers returning after two Tommy John’s has not been good. He may get it all back, or maybe not.
Yet they paid Ohtani $700M and he’s had 2 TJ surgeries, 2018 and 2023. They sure didn’t pay him that because they thought he was only going to DH for them. And Buehler said he would have signed a QO from LAD.
And Walker was just starting to get better and better. This is sad news and I believe he will be sorely miss.
It was a shame we couldn’t re-sign Walker; but this is a business as well as a sport. He was tough in the Series; but the first 2/3 of the regular season he was not good. With all our arms coming back, it just did not make sense to sign him for anything above 8 or 10 for the season he had. I still think he should have won the Cy in 2021. But with two years missed for TJ; it probably was a business decision that came down from Walter and the others at the top before it got to Friedman.
We can do ifs buts and what ifs all day long, but we likely will never know where this decision started. Yes, for the first 2/3 of the year he wasn’t himself; it’s called working your way into MLB pitching and hitting after major TJ surgery for the second time. He was finally returning to the Walker Buehler form and pitcher that fans loved and appreciated when they decide to dump him. There is no guarantee that we will get “all of our arms back” as you suggest, as you use recovering from surgery for Buehler against him, so it certainly brings their returns into question. Ohtani has also had two TJ surgeries, so no way of knowing how well he’ll pitch or when he’ll be on form. Kershaw is absolutely done, declined his player option, but LAD will figure a way to bring him back for 2025. They could have and should have done at least the same for Buehler.