Could Walker Buehler be the Dodgers’ next ace?
By Zach Houle
The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a rough start this year, but one bright spot is young righty Walker Buehler.
Recently, the Dodgers were informed star shortstop Corey Seager would undergo Tommy John surgery. The club wasn’t doing great to begin with, so that was a huge blow. The pitching was inconsistent and the offense was lagging. They’ve rebounded a bit as they now sit at 15-17 on the season. In their 15th win, the big contributor was right-hander Walker Buehler.
He is the Dodger’s top prospect, and rightfully so. The righty went six innings, struck out eight and walked three. He’s now 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA. The Dodger have always been a club that avoid trading top prospects, and Buehler’s performances are yet more justification for that approach. However, the club has some big decisions coming up that could impact Buehler’s future.
There has been much speculation about who the Dodgers should acquire in response to Seager’s injury. One name that has surfaced is Orioles third baseman Manny Machado. If the Orioles were to trade Machado, they’d likely want Buehler in return. LA wouldn’t give that much control up for a half season of a player, even a superstar like Machado.
Clayton Kershaw could also leave in free agency after the season. He’ll require a huge payday no matter what team acquires him. The Dodgers will do all they can to keep him, but there is still the possibility. If Kershaw were to leave, Buehler could be the next ace in line for LA. At 23, the righty is a special talent to invest in. He tossed 13 innings of 2.08 ERA ball so far in Triple-A. The club may send him down for some extra seasoning like they did earlier in the year.
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With that said, Buehler has shown he can dominate in the major leagues, although it was against the rebuilding San Diego Padres. The righty has arguably the highest ceiling of any young pitcher out there. So far, whatever prospect that was deemed untouchable by the Dodgers has been the real deal, barring injury. Hopefully Buehler is that next guy for the Dodgers.