Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Well, this sure is a shitty Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza present for Dodger fans.
Yep. Walker Buehler is signing with the Red Sox on a deal that is exactly the equivalent of the qualifying offer the Dodgers didn’t offer Buehler prior to the deadline.
The longer he remained a free agent, the less likely it seemed he was coming back. And after signing Blake Snell and still in pursuit of Roki Sasaki, the rotation was getting pretty full. Still, you would think the Dodgers would have figured out a way to bring back Buehler — especially on a 1-year deal — instead of letting him walk.
I don’t really want to be told about the luxury tax or the fact Buehler wasn’t very good for the majority of last season. My brain understands that, but my heart doesn’t. After seeing the celebrating the guys did during the parade, it’s hard not to want to get the band back together. Most of the time, that’s a recipe for failure. In this instances, though, the Dodgers could have found room for Walker — if they wanted to. Alas, they didn’t want to pay what would amount to double because of the luxury tax penalties.
Like I said, I don’t really want to hear about that nor do I care about Guggenheim’s money. This is the bed they’ve made, and they’re going to be raking in the cash for the next year after the World Series win.
This must be why they’re so insistent on deferrals in a potential Teoscar Hernandez contract. Speaking of, can we get that done, please? It’s one thing to lose this version Buehler, but to lose Hernandez — who fills two needs as an outfielder and right-handed power bat — because the Dodgers are worried about the money seems awfully foolish. But I digress.
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Buehler has been with the Dodgers his entire career after being the 24th selection in the 2015 MLB Draft. He needed Tommy John surgery shortly after signing, which is the reason he fell to No. 24 in the first place. He looked to be on the fast track to a $150 million-plus payday after strong showings from 2018 (including the postseason) through 2021 before things went off the rails due to injuries. He fought back and was a huge reason the Dodgers didn’t have to play a sixth game of the 2024 World Series. If Buehler hadn’t been able to throw an inning on one day’s rest, who knows how Game 5 would have turned out. I’m reasonably confident they still would have won the series, but the degree of difficulty would have been turned up just a bit.
It’s a bummer that Buehler will be donning another team’s uniform. I’m happy he got paid, I just wish it would have been with Los Angeles. With this move, it seems the Dodgers might be in “Sasaki or bust” mode, assuming they can’t get Corbin Burnes to agree to a short-term deal.
Here’s hoping they can figure out the payroll situation, because if they’re going to use the luxury tax implications as a reason for not signing players without securing deferrals, that’s going to be a bit disappointing. We’ll see how the rest of the offseason plays out. There is still quite a bit of good talent to be had, and the Dodgers have the ability to acquire them, no matter the luxury tax implications.
