World Series hero Buehler, Red Sox agree on 1-year deal (source)

BOSTON – The Red Sox continued to bolster their starting rotation on Monday, agreeing to terms with veteran right-hander Walker Buehler on a one-year, $21.05 million contract with incentives, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The deal, which was first reported by Russell Dorsey of Yahoo! Sports, has not been confirmed by the club and is pending a physical.

A career Dodger until now, Buehler was last seen closing out the 2024 World Series with a filthy ninth inning at Yankee Stadium, forever etching his name in Los Angeles baseball lore.

Entrusted with a one-run lead in Game 5, Buehler came on in the ninth and dispatched all three batters he faced, capping the performance with a nasty pitch to strike out Alex Verdugo.

The regular season, however, was a tough one for Buehler. After missing nearly two years due to his second Tommy John surgery in August 2021, Buehler struggled to look like the pre-injury version of himself for most of 2024. In 75 1/3 innings, he had a career-worst 5.38 ERA, 4.68 expected ERA, 18.6 percent strikeout rate, 8.1 percent walk rate and 1.91 HR/9 rate. While Buehler’s fastball velocity returned to his 2021-22 level, the lack of swing and miss and chases was evident.

What Buehler did in October gives the Red Sox confidence that there is still a solid starting pitcher there.

In the postseason, Buehler posted a 3.60 ERA and struck out 13 batters in four outings (15 innings), including a fantastic Game 3 outing in the World Series (no runs and five strikeouts in five innings). Two days later, he finished off the Yankees to give the Dodgers their eighth World Series title. Buehler also earned a World Series title with the ’20 Dodgers.

A healthy and productive Buehler would give the Red Sox a nice addition to a rotation that includes recently acquired ace Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello.

The Red Sox should also have more depth in the rotation than they’ve had in recent years, as Kutter Crawford was a mainstay in the rotation the last two years and Garrett Whitlock, coming off an internal bracing procedure on his right elbow, also has starting experience. Richard Fitts, acquired for Verdugo in December 2023, notched a 1.74 ERA in his first four MLB starts at the end of last season. The Sox also added lefty starter Patrick Sandoval in a two-year deal as a free agent, though he likely won’t pitch until sometime after the All-Star break as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

With the Red Sox also looking for ways to deepen their bullpen, it’s possible Crawford could switch to that role if there’s not a starting spot available. And the club seems to be leaning toward pitching Whitlock out of the bullpen, a role he has dominated in at times. It’s also possible Boston would be able to keep Whitlock healthier in that role.

Given Buehler’s injury history and the level he showed (in the regular season) as a 30-year-old in 2024, it’s possible we don’t see the peak 2018-21 version when he was a two-time All-Star and finished top 10 in Cy Young Award voting twice. However, it’s not inconceivable to think that Buehler has a second act as a solid starting pitcher who can slot into the middle of a contending team’s rotation, starting in ’25 for the Red Sox.

Buehler certainly created a memory against Boston in Game 3 of the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium, when he fired seven shutout innings of two-hit ball with no walks and seven strikeouts. Los Angeles won the epic contest in 18 innings on Max Muncy’s walk off homer off Nathan Eovaldi. The Red Sox took the series in five games.

The Dodgers took Buehler as a first-round selection (24th overall) out of Vanderbilt in 2015. He is a native of Lexington, Ky.

Buehler has a seven-pitch mix that includes a four-seamer, cutter, knuckle curve, sinker, sweeper, changeup and slider. The first three pitches listed from that arsenal are the ones he goes to most often.