Cross-Town Treachery: Dodgers Star Could Join Padres for $10 Million, Shattering LA’s Hope
The Los Angeles Dodgers could be headed towards a divorce with one of their homegrown starts who is a free agent. However, he could end up staying in the National League West and join the San Diego Padres.
While listing moves the Padres need to make, NBC San Diego’s Derek Togerson proposed adding Walker Beuhler to bring depth to their rotation. Beuhler had a terrible regular season but turned things around in October. He still needs to prove he can consistently be the player who received Cy Young Award votes in the past.
“One full season of dominance would shut them all up. Why not do that working with highly respected pitching coach Ruben Niebla in San Diego? Buehler has never made more than $8.1 million in any arbitration year,” wrote Togerson. “Give him a one-year, $10 million, incentive-laden deal with a mutual option for 2025 to re-establish himself as a top-of-the-rotation arm that fits beautifully into the Padres budget.”
His 5.38 ERA across 16 starts in the regular season left many questioning why the Dodgers kept on putting him out there. However, their rotation was decimated by injuries. Buhler ended the year on a high note with a strong postseason. His final two starts spanned nine shutout innings and 11 strikeouts. He also got the World Series title-clinching save on one day of rest.
Beuhler has spent his entire career with the Dodgers. The team drafted him in the first round of the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft. He is a two-twi All-Star and a two-time World Series champion. He understands the rivalry between the Padres and the Dodgers as well as anyone. Even if the Dodgers don’t want him back, signing with the Padres would be a tough pill to swallow for the fan base.
If he can perform like he did at the end of the postseason, the Dodgers could actually be in trouble of he signs with their arch-rival.
