A Casualty of Depth: Dodgers Expected to Release Two-time All-Star as LA Prioritizes Youth and…
Almost everyone who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers wants to stay there forever. Unfortunately, that’s not in the cards for most.
The Dodgers have now won two World Series in the last five years and the goal is to win several more with the current core of superstars in LA. But the roster has gotten so jam-packed with talent that some of the vital pieces of the 2024 roster won’t fit in the picture moving forward.
That list could include starting pitcher Walker Buehler, a two-time All-Star who the Dodgers drafted in the first round all the way back in 2015.
After a lackluster regular season in his return from Tommy John surgery, the Dodgers likely wouldn’t have a top-five spot to offer Buehler in their rotation. But he proved in the postseason that he still has electric stuff, and a host of teams are in hot pursuit of him in free agency.
On Thursday, Katrina Stebbins of FanSided predicted that Buehler would sign elsewhere, ending his excellent run with the Dodgers this winter.
“There’s still a large swath of Dodgers fandom who would kill to see Buehler return to the team in 2025, but again, the Dodgers rotation might actually be too full,” Stebbins said.
“Buehler has already garnered interest from multiple teams including the Athletics (who he quickly shot down), Tigers, and even the Yankees; the latter two have far more room in their rotation to accommodate Buehler, who is a fixer-upper after the worst regular season of his career, but the Dodgers just don’t have space for him anymore.”
Buehler, 30, had a 5.38 ERA in 14 regular-season outings, barely maintaining a spot in the Dodgers’ rotation due to the litany of injuries occurring around him. But in the playoffs, he finished the year on a 13-inning scoreless streak, lowering his career postseason ERA to 3.04.
Lots of teams will want a piece of Buehler, especially if he signs a short-term deal to reinflate his value for a future payday. While it’s not a lock that he’ll leave the Dodgers, the odds certainly look to be swaying in that direction.
