World Series 1W1S hero Tu Buehler broke up with his former team Dodgers. $12.05 million settlement with Boston for one year

Dec 24, 2024

Walker Buehler (30), a right-hander who appeared as a starter and finisher in the last World Series and presented the Los Angeles Dodgers with a strong performance with 1-1 saves and 0 ERA (6 scoreless innings), will leave for the Boston Red Sox. It appears to be the result of the Dodgers' failure to erase their distrust of 'durability'.

Walker Buehler (30), a right-hander who appeared as a starter and finisher in the last World Series and presented the LA Dodgers with a strong performance with 1-1 saves and 0 ERA (six scoreless innings), will leave for the Boston Red Sox. It appears to be the result of the Dodgers' failure to erase their distrust of 'durability'.

MLB.COM reported on the 23rd (Korea time) 'World Series hero Buehler agreed to a one-year contract with Boston' The media outlet said the contract, which was first reported by Yahoo Sports' Russell Dorsey, was not officially confirmed by the club. But a source told MLB.COM's Mark Feinsand. A physical examination is currently underway,' the report said.

Buehler is one of the top contributors to leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to victory in the 2024 World Series. He showed a completely different appearance from the regular league. Buehler played only 75 ⅓ in 16 games in the regular season due to a hip injury. His performance was also poor with a 1-6 record and a 5.38 ERA.

However, in the World Series, he almost reproduced his heyday to perfection. In Game 3 of the World Series against the New York Yankees, he became a winning pitcher with five scoreless innings and turned into a closing pitcher in Game 5 after a break in Game 4. He appeared in the ninth inning with a 7-6 lead and blocked one inning perfectly, holding the honor of winning the World Series finale pitcher. It is the first time in 19 games that Buehler has appeared as a bullpen pitcher in the postseason.

It created this glorious scene, but Buehler's relationship with the Dodgers didn't last long. Rumors of a transfer came out of the stove league. This is because Buehler, who wants a multi-year contract, and the Dodgers, who do not trust his health, showed a clear difference.

He threw well all of a sudden in the World Series, but in fact, Buehler is a time bomb pitcher. Buehler, who was selected by the Dodgers as the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2015 draft, made a big league call-up in 2017. At that time, Ryu Hyun-jin, who was a member of the Dodgers at the time, formed an axis of the starting rotation in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In 2018, he ranked third in the `Rookie of the Year' list, and was selected as an All-Star in 2019 and 2021.

The 2021 season was a career high. Buehler, who played 207 ⅔ in 33 games, was 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA and 212 strikeouts, ranking fourth in the National League Cy Young Award. He was mentioned as the next Dodgers ace to succeed Clayton Kershaw, who has been on the decline.

But in June 2022, my elbow broke down. Although his ball power fell somewhat, Buehler, who had been relatively good with 6 wins and 1 loss until May, failed to fill five innings in two consecutive seasons in June and became a losing pitcher. Buehler, who complained of elbow pain after losing to San Francisco on June 10, underwent surgery to remove bone fragments in mid-June. He was expected to be able to return in September, but on August 23, he underwent his second Tommy John surgery.

Buehler, who took the entire 2023 season, returned for the 2024 season. He made his first start in as many as 697 days against the Miami Marlins at his home stadium on May 6. However, the ball power before the injury has rarely recovered. Above all, he couldn't play a long inning due to concerns about the recurrence of injuries. Six innings was the maximum. In the end, he recorded 1-6 losses with a 5.38 ERA in 16 games.

However, manager Dave Roberts, who evaluated that his ball power improved in the second half, added Buehler to the postseason entry by predicting him to start Game 3 of the National League Division Series early.

Buehler proved his name value again in the postseason. In particular, he proudly became the main player of the World Series with an amazing performance of one win and one save in two games and zero ERA (two hits and no runs in six innings).

However, as the excitement of winning the World Series subsided, a cold reality approached. Buehler wanted to stay with his former team, the Dodgers. However, the Dodgers did not want a long-term contract with the 30-year-old pitcher, who has lost both ball power and durability after undergoing several surgeries. It didn't even offer a qualifying offer of $21.5 million. In fact, it's almost like having lost one's hand.

Still, the market's assessment was a little different. Even though his ball power has fallen, he thought he could play a role in the starting rotation. The possibility of transformation as a relief pitcher shown in Game 5 of the World Series was also evaluated as an attractive part.

The New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, and Detroit Tigers, who lack a starting rotation, are reported to be interested. But it was Boston that took Buehler. Boston offered Buehler a one-year short contract. Instead, it is on the condition of giving $21.05 million, which is equivalent to the amount of qualifying offer that the Dodgers rejected.

In addition to Buehler, Boston has already signed left-hander Patrick Sandoval, who underwent Tommy John surgery in June this year, for two years and $18.25 million. Collecting question mark starting agents due to surgery like scratching a lottery ticket. It is a way to expect great success by investing a relatively small amount of money. Therefore, if Buehler shows good performance in the Boston starting rotation next season, he is expected to be able to draw a multi-year contract in the future.

Will Buehler be able to recreate the World Series 'HeroToo' in Boston.

Reporter Lee Won-man wman@sportschosun.com

wman@sportschosun.com