Dodgers Could Lose Fan Favorite Pitcher This Offseason

Sam Garcia | 20 Hours Ago

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The Dodgers still have not re-signed starting pitcher Walker Buehler. The two-time World Series champion is drawing interest from multiple teams, making it less and less likely that he will return to Los Angeles next season.

“I would say it's less than a 50 percent likelihood that he becomes a Dodger again, just because there is interest in Walker around the industry,” MLB insider Jon Morosi said to Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain at the Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas. “Team like the Cubs, I've heard mentioned. The Yankees, ironically enough, could be an option for him as well. The Braves are looking for starting pitching help, too.”

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Each team offers its own benefits for Buehler, ranging from relation to his alma mater to the opportunity to fulfill childhood dreams of playing on a big stage. 

The Braves are a close-to-home option for Buehler, who is a native of Lexington, Kentucky. Meanwhile, the Cubs have Carter Hawkins in their front office. Both Hawkins and Buehler are Vanderbilt alumni.

“There is the Vandy connection to the Cubs,” Morosi said to McKain. “With the front office and Carter Hawkins, who's their GM, being a Vandy guy, so think there's that connection there.”

In New York, they still could look to add another starting pitcher, even with the addition of Max Fried. Despite being rostered for the American League Championship Series and World Series, Marcus Stroman did not pitch a single inning of the postseason. Therefore, Stroman may not have a prominent role in the rotation next season. The Yankees also just traded Nestor Cortes.

“I've heard there's been mutual interest with the Yankees to where he's wanted that experience of playing in New York and being on the big stage,” Morosi said. “Maybe some questions about Stroman’s spot in the rotation, especially after a year in which he was not an element of their postseason plans…So there, to me, is a need for the Yankees to get one more starting pitcher, and I'm told that Walker is intrigued to the possibility of being a Yankee.”

Buehler shined in the postseason, especially in his closing inning of Game 5 of the World Series against the Yankees. Across three postseason starts and one appearance, Buehler logged a 3.60 ERA while striking out 13 batters and walking five.

As far as staying with the Dodgers, the chances seem to be dwindling. The Dodgers did not send Buehler a qualifying offer like they did for outfielder Teoscar Hernández. Additionally, Los Angeles signed two-time Cy Young pitcher Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract. That means the rotation already consists of four ace-caliber starters in Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Shohei Ohtani.