After winning his second World Series title with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, right-hander Walker Buehler is headed to the East Coast to join a suddenly potent Boston Red Sox rotation. 
Buehler agreed to a one-year deal worth $21.05 million &#8212; matching the amount of this off-season&#8217;s qualifying offer &#8212; with the Red Sox on Monday, first reported by Yahoo&#8217;s Russell Dorsey. The contract also includes performance incentives and is pending a physical.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Breaking: Right-hander Walker Buehler and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a one-year, $21.05 million deal which includes incentives, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/YahooSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YahooSports</a>. The two-time World Series champion with the Dodgers now becomes the veteran arm in Boston’s new-look rotation.
— Russell Dorsey (@Russ_Dorsey1) <a href="https://twitter.com/Russ_Dorsey1/status/1871200568527450170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
The Los Angeles Dodgers opted not to offer a qualifying offer to Buehler, who pitched to a 5.38 ERA and 5.54 FIP over 16 starts last season after missing all of 2023 due to his second Tommy John surgery. He only made 12 starts in &#8217;22, posting a 4.02 ERA and 3.80 FIP across 65 innings.
The 30-year-old righty battled a hip injury during his final campaign with the Dodgers, limiting him to 75.1 innings a season ago. He hasn&#8217;t logged more than 100 frames since his second of two All-Star performances in &#8217;21, where he posted career-bests in ERA (2.47), games started (33), innings pitched (207.2) and fWAR (5.6).
Buehler&#8217;s swing-and-miss totals have trended in the wrong direction in the years since, with his strikeout rate plummeting to a career-low 18.6 per cent last season. Making matters worse, he registered the highest walk rate (8.1 per cent) of his career since becoming a full-time major league starter in &#8217;18.
Still, the two-time World Series champion is coming off a respectable post-season run with Los Angeles, earning a 3.60 ERA and 13 strikeouts over four appearances (three starts) spanning 15 innings. He closed out Game 5 of the World Series versus the New York Yankees, tossing a perfect inning of work in relief with a pair of punchouts to secure the franchise&#8217;s eighth championship title.
If Buehler can stay healthy in 2025, he could prove to be a high-upside acquisition for the Red Sox, who made a blockbuster trade for left-hander Garrett Crochet earlier this winter. Both will join a talented staff that already includes Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford.

After winning his second World Series title with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, right-hander Walker Buehler is headed to the East Coast to join a suddenly potent Boston Red Sox rotation. 

Buehler agreed to a one-year deal worth $21.05 million -- matching the amount of this off-season's qualifying offer -- with the Red Sox on Monday, first reported by Yahoo's Russell Dorsey. The contract also includes performance incentives and is pending a physical.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Breaking: Right-hander Walker Buehler and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a one-year, $21.05 million deal which includes incentives, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/YahooSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YahooSports</a>. The two-time World Series champion with the Dodgers now becomes the veteran arm in Boston’s new-look rotation.
— Russell Dorsey (@Russ_Dorsey1) <a href="https://twitter.com/Russ_Dorsey1/status/1871200568527450170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
The Los Angeles Dodgers opted not to offer a qualifying offer to Buehler, who pitched to a 5.38 ERA and 5.54 FIP over 16 starts last season after missing all of 2023 due to his second Tommy John surgery. He only made 12 starts in '22, posting a 4.02 ERA and 3.80 FIP across 65 innings.

The 30-year-old righty battled a hip injury during his final campaign with the Dodgers, limiting him to 75.1 innings a season ago. He hasn't logged more than 100 frames since his second of two All-Star performances in '21, where he posted career-bests in ERA (2.47), games started (33), innings pitched (207.2) and fWAR (5.6).

Buehler's swing-and-miss totals have trended in the wrong direction in the years since, with his strikeout rate plummeting to a career-low 18.6 per cent last season. Making matters worse, he registered the highest walk rate (8.1 per cent) of his career since becoming a full-time major league starter in '18.

Still, the two-time World Series champion is coming off a respectable post-season run with Los Angeles, earning a 3.60 ERA and 13 strikeouts over four appearances (three starts) spanning 15 innings. He closed out Game 5 of the World Series versus the New York Yankees, tossing a perfect inning of work in relief with a pair of punchouts to secure the franchise's eighth championship title.

If Buehler can stay healthy in 2025, he could prove to be a high-upside acquisition for the Red Sox, who made a blockbuster trade for left-hander Garrett Crochet earlier this winter. Both will join a talented staff that already includes Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford.

Red Sox, Walker Buehler agree to one-year deal worth $21.05 million

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