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The Boston Red Sox took a slight gamble over the offseason, signing Walker Buehler to a one-year, $21.05 million deal over the offseason. There isn’t much risk that comes with one-year deals, but the Red Sox paid a pretty penny to sign Buehler, a pitcher who, outside of his strong postseason run last season, hadn’t shown much in recent seasons.
Early returns of the Buehler deal weren’t great. He allowed nine runs in his first 9.1 innings of work spanning over two starts, and surrendered three home runs. His three starts since, however, have been nothing short of magnificent. He was at his best on Monday, allowing just one run on four hits in seven innings of work, striking out nine in a Red Sox win.
Walker Buehler on Patriots Day:
7 IP (most since 2022)
1 ER
9 K
4 H
3 BB1.96 ERA over his past 3 starts with the Red Sox.pic.twitter.com/OkqA12PHg8
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Sure, it might’ve been against the Chicago White Sox, but Buehler’s stuff was good enough to dominate just about any team. He was locked in, and showed why the Red Sox were comfortable taking this gamble.
Buehler having the success he’s had, has to have the Los Angeles Dodgers feeling some sort of regret for letting him walk. That alone gives Red Sox fans reason to feel good about themselves, justified or not.
Red Sox fans can revel in Dodgers Walker Buehler regret
Buehler is starting to look more like the star he once was. That’s great news for the Red Sox, and is a frustrating outcome for the Dodgers. It’s hard to fault them for letting him walk considering the amount of money he got and his lack of production in recent regular seasons, but Los Angeles’ rotation is a bit of a mess right now. The injury bug has bitten them hard once again. Tyler Glasnow leaving Sunday’s start prematurely could lead to him joining Tony Gonsolin, Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell, and Gavin Stone on the IL.
The Red Sox not only get to enjoy Buehler’s success, but they also get to enjoy a potential Dodgers whiff. The Mookie Betts trade wound is still fresh and really tough for Red Sox fans to recover from – understandably. Getting to be on the right side of a swap with the Dodgers, even if this victory isn’t as large and Buehler wasn’t acquired in a trade, must feel good.
Buehler still has more to prove in the regular season and, of course, October, if the Red Sox can get there, but the 30-year-old looking as good as he has in the regular season in years is a great sign for what’s to come.
