Boston Red Sox Sign Los Angeles Dodgers World Series Hero Walker Buehler, Per Report

Walker Buehler is set to join the Boston Red Sox's starting rotation after making two All-Star appearances and winning two World Series in eight years with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Oct 16, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler (21) reacts after an out against the New York Mets in the second inning during Game 3 of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox have signed free agent starting pitcher Walker Buehler to a one-year deal, Yahoo Sports' Russell Dorsey reported Monday morning.

Per Dorsey, Buehler's deal is worth $21.05 million, making the 30-year-old right-hander the highest-paid pitcher on Boston's roster. The contract, which is still pending a physical, also includes incentives.

Buehler is fresh off winning his second World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, recording the final out in the 2024 Fall Classic against the New York Yankees. After tossing 5.0 scoreless frames in Game 3, Buehler came in and got the series-clinching save in Game 5.

For as successful as Buehler was in October, though, his 2024 season featured more downs than ups.

Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2022 and missed all of 2023. He returned to make 16 starts in 2024, going 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA, 1.553 WHIP, 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings and a -1.3 WAR.

Prior to his injury, Buehler was one of the most promising young arms in baseball. He finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2018, then made the All-Star Game and placed ninth in the NL Cy Young race in 2019. Buehler won a World Series ring in 2020, then made another All-Star appearance and finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting in 2021.

Across that four-season stretch, Buehler went 39-13 with a 2.82 ERA, 0.989 WHIP, 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings and a 13.3 WAR.

Buehler brings plenty of postseason success to the table beyond 2024 as well, boasting a 4-4 record, 3.04 ERA, 1.151 WHIP and 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings in 94.2 career playoff innings.

The Red Sox have now added three notable starting pitchers this month, starting with the blockbuster Garrett Crochet trade they completed with the Chicago White Sox. Boston then signed longtime Los Angeles Angels left-hander Patrick Sandoval – who is recovering from Tommy John surgery himself – to a two-year deal.

Sandoval will start the season on the injured list alongside Garrett Whitlock and potentially Lucas Giolito. Crochet and Buehler, on the other hand, are set to step into a rotation that was previously headed up by Brayan Bello and Tanner Houck.

Before Giolito and Sandoval return to the mound, the fifth and final spot in the Red Sox's rotation could go to swingman Kutter Crawford or rookie Richard Fitts. Crawford seems expendable via trade now, however, so it remains to be seen if he is even on Boston's roster by the time Spring Training comes around.

Buehler's arrival likely puts the final nail in the coffin for Nick Pivetta's time with the Red Sox. Boston made Pivetta a one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer in November, but he declined it.

The Red Sox will receive draft pick compensation should Pivetta sign elsewhere. They did not have to sacrifice any draft capital for Buehler, who did not receive a qualifying offer from the Dodgers.

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