Braves Predicted to Poach Dodgers Fan Favorite This Offseason

Maren Angus-Coombs | 19 Hours Ago

Sep 9, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler (21) before starting against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Now that the dust has somewhat settled from the World Series and a few offseason moves, the Los Angeles Dodgers have some difficult decisions to make about a few fan favorites.

One of those players is right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler.

Buehler became a free agent immediately after the 2024 season. He could return on a new contract but that seems unlikely considering the new five-year, $182 million contract with Snell.

One baseball insider predicts the Atlanta Braves will poach Buehler in a free agent deal.

"Atlanta will need to replace Max Fried and Charlie Morton in the starting rotation," writes Andy McCullough of The Athletic. "It won’t take a long-term deal to land Buehler, who starred in October for the Dodgers after a difficult regular season as he returned from his second Tommy John surgery. Buehler lives for the postseason, and the Braves expect to be there."

MLB insider Bob Nightengale shared with Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain that he doesn’t expect either Buehler or Jack Flaherty to return following the Snell deal.

“Well, I can’t see Buehler coming back now. Same with Jack Flaherty,” Nightengale told McKain. “Obviously, they could have kept Buehler by giving him a qualifying offer. I think Buehler would have taken it at $21 million. I’m sure they talked and said, ‘Okay, we’ll offer you, you know, say around $15 million,’ and he wasn’t interested.”

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic also reported that the Dodgers wanted to simplify Buehler’s free agency process. Placing a qualifying offer on him would have limited his options, so the team chose not to. It's also the first time Buehler has been a free agent in his career.

“The Dodgers did not want to force the issue with Buehler,” Rosenthal wrote. “The qualifying offer would have damaged Buehler in the market, leaving him with almost no choice but to accept.”

Buehler's regular season with the Dodgers was interesting to say in the least.

After missing the entire 2023 season recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, Buehler returned posting a 5.38 ERA over 16 starts and 75.1 innings for Los Angeles. His performance fell below his usual standards but he proved his worth in the postseason.

Buehler had some of the most memorable performances of his career against the New York Yankees in this year’s World Series. He pitched five shutout innings in the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory in Game 3 and followed it up with a clutch save in Game 5, closing out a scoreless ninth inning and securing the championship for the Dodgers.