The Boston Red Sox believed they had landed a gem in Walker Buehler when they signed him during the offseason. Buehler was coming off a World Series win with the Dodgers and looked sharp last season. However, this year has been a different story — one that ended with Buehler losing his spot in the starting rotation.
“The Red Sox have a few possible replacements for Buehler in Richard Fitts and Kyle Harrison. Boston on August 21 recalled Fitts from Triple-A to fill a vacancy in the bullpen, but he and Buehler could swap roles if necessary. The Sox got Harrison as part of the Rafael Devers trade, and he’s posted a 3.69 ERA in 46.1 innings with Triple-A Worcester,” BoSox Injection’s Katie Manganelli wrote.
Just a week later, the Red Sox cut ties with Buehler, marking the end of his short stint in Boston.
“The Red Sox announced that they have released right-hander Walker Buehler. That the corresponding move for the Sox to select prospect Payton Tolle, a move which was reported yesterday,” Darragh McDonald wrote.
While his time in Boston is over, a very familiar team could come calling — the Los Angeles Dodgers. With October looming, Buehler might be just what they need.
“The Dodgers will not be grabbing Buehler with the goal of having him in the postseason rotation. There are four rotation spots for each playoff team. The Dodgers have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Clayton Kershaw and Shohei Ohtani from which to pick four. If two of those pitchers get hurt before the playoffs, they’d go with Emmet Sheehan and/or a bullpen game. There is a familiarity here, though, with the possibility of Buehler pitching well enough out of the bullpen for a month to carve out a playoff role as a reliever. The chances of a reunion here are higher than zero,” CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder wrote.
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It wasn’t even a year ago that Buehler closed out the World Series for the Dodgers against the Yankees. Los Angeles knows what kind of postseason performer he can be. Things may not have worked out in Boston, but a bullpen role back in LA could reignite his season. Signing Buehler could quietly be a power move in the Dodgers’ quest for another World Series championship.
