Sources-Walker Buehler, Red Sox agree to 1-year, $21M deal

Right-hander Walker Buehler and the Boston Red Sox have agreed to a one-year, $21.05 million contract, sources told ESPN, sending the pitcher who made the final out of the World Series this year to a team that is starting pitching as it turns against strife.

The deal, first reported by Yahoo Sports, includes an additional $2.5 million in performance bonuses, sources said.

Buehler, a 30-year-old two-time All-Star who was among the game’s best starters from 2018 to 2021, was one of the most intriguing free agents this winter. After undergoing a second Tommy John surgery in 2022, Buehler returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers and allowed a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts.

He remained in the Dodgers’ postseason rotation and reinforced his previously established big-game bona fides, tossing four shutout innings in a National League Championship Series victory, pitching another five shutout innings in a World Series victory, then turning back on one day’s rest to lock down Los Angeles’ championship in the ninth inning of a wild Game 5 against the New York Yankees.

Boston hopes Buehler can be just as good in October. The Red Sox, who scored the ninth-most runs in baseball last year and have the top three hitting options in the game in outfielder Roman Anthony, infielder/outfielder Kristian Campbell and shortstop Marcelo Mayer, entered the winter searching for pitching. And while the form of that materialized slowly, the Red Sox have managed to add high-upside pitching at a low financial cost.

A mammoth trade netted them left-hander Garrett Crochet, who figures to be the Red Sox’s Opening Day starter for the next two years at low arbitration salaries. And they paid $18.25 million for two years of left-hander Patrick Sandoval, who is expected to return from Tommy John surgery around August.

Buehler earned a reputation as the best kind of bully on the mound — one who backs up elite stuff with presence and attitude to match. With a four-seam fastball that sat at 96-97 mph and regularly painted the four corners of the strike zone, Buehler could win games with his heater alone. He also happened to throw a cutter, curveball, slider, changeup and sinker, flummoxing hitters on the regular.

His best year came in 2021, a season after he helped lead the Dodgers to their first World Series title since 1988. Buehler went 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA in 207⅔ innings, striking out 212 and walking 52. He finished at fourth place in close competition. NL Cy Young voting.

Elbow injuries sidelined Buehler for part of 2022 before he underwent a Tommy John revision with a flexor repair. Players coming back from another elbow reconstruction — Buehler had his first in 2015, right after the Dodgers selected him with the 24th overall pick — are working on longer timetables than the typical Tommy John return. Buehler missed all of 2023 and returned in May of this year without his most explosive stuff. Before going on the injured list in June with right hip inflammation, he had struck out just 31 in 37 innings

When he returned in August, Buehler was no better. Injuries to the Dodgers’ rotation reinforced that he was a vital part of their October plans. During his career, he had posted a 2.94 ERA and struck out 101 in 79⅔ postseason innings. His performance in the 2024 playoffs looked far closer to vintage Buehler than he had previously shown, and his willingness to sign a one-year deal rather than pursue a multi-year pact suggests Buehler also believes the postseason was just a taste on what was to come.

If Boston can get the best versions of Crochet and Buehler, as well as a healthy return from Sandoval, its pitching depth will be a definite strength. The Red Sox also return right-handers Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Lucas Giolito, the latter of whom is also coming back from Tommy John surgery.