After missing all of the 2023 season due to injury, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler has been looking to regain his Cy Young-caliber form that he has shown to have in the past.
The 30-year-old looked rusty in his return to the majors and even missed some time due to a hip injury, but after ending the postseason on a high note, he is likely to see plenty of suitors this offseason. When healthy from 2018-2021, Buehler had a 39-13 record with a 2.82 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 620 strikeouts over 564 innings pitched.
He will be a major bounce-back target as teams look to improve and could end up being one of the steals of the offseason.
Here are three teams that should make the play for Buehler’s signature this offseason if he doesn’t return to the Dodgers:
San Francisco Giants
With pitcher Blake Snell likely to opt out of his contract with the Giants and become a free agent, replacing him with someone of Buehler’s pedigree would be a great way for the Giants to hurt their division rival and solidify their rotation in the same move.
Buehler has always had success when facing the Giants during his career, posting a 7-2 record with a 2.79 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 76 strikeouts over 71 innings pitched against the club.
With pitcher Logan Webb already atop the Giants rotation, Buehler would fill a major need while also getting to play in one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in the MLB. While they would still need a few other pieces, adding Buehler would be a great starting point for the Giants as they look to become a playoff team in 2025.
Atlanta Braves
Starting pitchers Max Fried and Charlie Morton are both likely gone this offseason, making the Atlanta Braves another potential big landing spot for Buehler to go to in free agency. With a roster built with a core of players locked in for the next few seasons, the Braves will go into the offseason looking to retool and make another run at winning the World Series.
Adding Buehler to the mix with the front-runner for the 2024 National League Cy Young award in pitcher Chris Sale, one of the best right-handers in baseball in Spencer Strider and breakout pitcher Reynaldo Lopez would give the Braves one of the best rotations in baseball.
After trading outfielder Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday afternoon, could a big splash in free agency be on the horizon for the 2021 World Series champions?Â
Texas Rangers
With a few contracts coming off the books, including pitchers Max Scherzer and Andrew Heaney, and pitcher Nathan Eovaldi holding a player option, it would be wise for the Rangers to add a big piece to the rotation like Buehler.
With pitcher Jacob deGrom still a major question mark as to how many starts for which he’ll be available, they are left with a rotation that has a few exciting young arms but not much else. Adding Buehler would allow him to slide into the top of the rotation while also allowing the other pitchers on the roster to fill more suitable spots on the pitching staff.Â
Buehler’s good friend and former Dodgers teammate, shortstop Corey Seager, is on the Rangers. Could that entice him to join the American League team that is a year removed from winning a World Series and looking to make their way back in 2025?