Buehler and Red Sox agree to one year, $21 million, according to sources
Right-hander Walker Buehler’s $21 million, one-year deal with Red Sox includes an additional $2.5 million in performance bonuses
Right-hander Walker Buehler and the Boston Red Sox have agreed to a one-year, $21.05 million deal, sources told AM850sending the pitcher who secured the last out of the World Series this year to a team that is loading up on starters as it pivots toward competition.
The deal, first reported by Yahoo Sports, includes an additional $2.5 million in performance bonuses, sources said.
The 30-year-old two-time All-Star Buehler, who was among the game’s best starters from 2018 to 2021, was one of this winter’s most intriguing free agents. After undergoing a second Tommy John surgery in 2022, Buehler returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers and had a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts.
Buehler remained in the Dodgers’ postseason rotation and reinforced previously established big-game credentials, pitching four scoreless innings in an NLCS victory, providing five more scoreless innings in a National League Championship Series win. World Series and then returning on a day’s rest to secure the Los Angeles championship in the ninth inning of a mind-blowing Game 5 against the New York Yankees.
Boston hopes Buehler can be just as good this October. The Red Sox, who scored the ninth-most runs in baseball last year and have the three best hitting prospects in the game in outfielder Roman Anthony, infielder/outfielder Kristian Campbell and shortstop Marcelo Mayer, started this winter looking for pitchers. And although the way to do it was slow to materialize, the Red Sox have managed to add high-potential pitchers at a low financial cost.
A blockbuster trade allowed them to land left-hander Garrett Crochet, who projects to be the Red Sox’s Opening Day starter for the next two years on low arbitration salaries. And they paid $18.25 million for two years for left-hander Patrick Sandoval, who is expected to return from Tommy John surgery around August.
Buehler earned the reputation of being dominant on the mound, with an elite repertoire, with high presence and attitude. With a four-seam fastball that stayed at 96-97 mph and regularly painted all four corners of the strike zone, Buehler could win games with his fastball alone. He also throws a cutter, a curveball, a slider, a changeup and a sinker, regularly baffling hitters.
His best year came in 2021, a season after he helped lead the Dodgers to their first World Series title since 1988. Buehler went 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA in 207.2 innings, striking out 212 and hitting 52 walks. He finished fourth in the close NL Cy Young voting.
Elbow injuries kept Buehler out of action for much of 2022 before he underwent a Tommy John overhaul with a flexor repair. Players returning from a second elbow reconstruction (Buehler had his first in 2015, just after the Dodgers took him with the 24th overall pick) work on longer schedules than the typical return from surgery. Buehler missed all of 2023 and returned in May of this year without his most explosive material. Before going on the disabled list in June with inflammation in his right hip, he had struck out just 31 batters in 37 innings.
When he returned in August, Buehler fared no better. Injuries to the Dodgers’ rotation reinforced that he was a vital part of their October plans. Over his career, he had posted a 2.94 ERA and struck out 101 in 79.2 postseason innings. His performance in the 2024 playoffs looked much more like classic Buehler than he had previously shown, and his willingness to accept a one-year deal instead of seeking a multi-year pact suggests that Buehler also believes the postseason was simply a preview of what is to come.
If Boston can get the best versions of Crochet and Buehler, as well as a healthy return from Sandoval, their pitching depth will be a distinct strength. The Red Sox also return right-handers Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Lucas Giolito, the latter of whom is also returning from Tommy John surgery.
