World Series hero Buehler, Red Sox agree on 1-year deal (source)

A couple months after his hero turn in the World Series, right-hander Walker Buehler has agreed to a one-year, $21.05 million deal with incentives with the Red Sox, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The deal, which was first reported by Russell Dorsey of Yahoo! Sports, has not been confirmed by the club and is pending a physical.

Buehler closing out the 2024 World Series and clinching a title for the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium forever etched his name in Los Angeles baseball lore. For much of the season, however, he did not look like the playoff version we saw.

After missing nearly two years due to his second Tommy John surgery in Aug. 2021, Buehler struggled to look like the pre-injury version of himself for most of 2024. In 75 1/3 innings, he had a career-worst 5.38 ERA, 4.68 expected ERA, 18.6 percent strikeout rate, 8.1 percent walk rate and 1.91 HR/9 rate. While Buehler’s fastball velocity returned to his 2021-22 level, the lack of swing and miss and chases was evident.

The narrative on Buehler flipped in a hurry in October, when the right-hander played an integral role in the Dodgers’ World Series run. Buehler posted a 3.60 ERA and struck out 13 batters in four outings (15 innings), including a fantastic Game 3 outing in the World Series (no runs and five strikeouts in five innings). Two days later, he tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning to secure the Dodgers’ eighth World Series title.

Given Buehler’s injury history and the level he showed (in the regular season) as a 30-year-old in 2024, it’s possible we don’t see the peak 2018-21 version when he was a two-time All-Star and finished top 10 in Cy Young Award voting twice. However, it’s not inconceivable to think that Buehler has a second act as a solid starting pitcher who can slot into the middle of a contending team’s rotation.