National MLB Writer Sees Dodgers Reuniting With All-Star in Free Agency

Matt Levine | Sep 20, 2024

As the Los Angeles Dodgers head toward the finish line of their 2024 season, the front office will be tasked with preparing for the winter. Los Angeles will need to figure out how to build another championship-level team for next year while filling in the holes from this season.

One of the more interesting names that will be on the open market from the Dodgers is starting pitcher Walker Buehler. Buehler made his return this season from his second Tommy John surgery, and has a mixed track record.

The right-hander has been a wild card each time he has taken the mound, much to the frustration of the team. The 30-year-old will be a free agent at the end of the season and one national writer believes Buehler will remain in Los Angeles.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today tells Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation he thinks the former All-Star will return in free agency:

“He’s going to have to sign a one-year contract, maybe a club option, player option, that sort of thing," Nightengale told McKain. "So it makes all the sense in the world for him to come back to L.A. He knows the trainers, the staff, and then he’ll hit the market again. But he’s going to have to go with a short-term contract just because he hasn’t shown that he’s bounced back yet with all the struggles. I can’t see him signing more than a one-year deal with an option or two?"

If Buehler does return to the Dodgers, he would need to prove that he belongs in a starting rotation. On the year, he has put up an ERA of 5.54 through 14 starts. A hip injury limited his availability and effectiveness at midseason. Since then, he has looked a little better with each start.

In his last six starts, Buehler has allowed more than three runs just one time. If he can settle down and be even half as dominant as he was before his injury, it would be a massive boost to the Dodgers in the postseason.

The Dodgers have lost multiple pitchers for the year and their rotation has been decimated just before the playoffs. For them to reach their goal of winning the World Series, they may have to rely on Buehler heavily throughout the postseason.

It's not an ideal situation for the team but it would also give more thought to how his contract could look for next season. If Buehler performs well in the playoffs, he could see a spike on the open market.