Walker Buehler turned a heroic postseason run with the Los Angeles Dodgers into a one-year, $21 million contract with the Boston Red Sox this past winter. After a tumultuous career, full of significant peaks and valleys, it felt like Buehler found his legs as a potential top-line ace down the stretch of 2024. Alas, it was not meant to be.
In keeping with the broader trends of his career, Buehler followed up a fruitful stretch with a fallow stretch. He made 23 appearances (22 starts) for the Red Sox, posting a 5.45 ERA and 1.56 WHIP. He only notched 84 strikeouts in 112.1 innings pitched. After months of patience — and man, were the Red Sox patient — the hammer finally dropped this week. Buehler was waived, and his replacement happens to be top prospect Payton Tolle, whose debut on Friday night captured the hearts of every MLB fan.
It has been a relentlessly grim season for Buehler, whose velocity is down a tick. He has dealt with injuries (another common theme in his career), struggling to pick up and sustain any sort of positive momentum. With Boston leaning into its youth movement, and Tolle looking more than capable of holding his own against MLB competition, moving on was clearly the right move for that organization.
That won't prevent a few contenders from checking in on Buehler, hoping that he can replicate 2024's late-season surge heading into October. Let's name a few logical landing spots.
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Kansas City Royals
We approach the final month of the season with the Kansas City Royals only three games out of the Wild Card race. The competition is strong, as none of Boston, New York or Seattle feel especially prone to slipping. But there is plenty of time, and all it takes is a single cold spell from one of the current Wild Card teams or an especially torrid stretch from the Royals.
Kansas City's offense has come alive in recent weeks, but the pitching staff remains a point of concern. Rarely does a major long-term extension backfire as quickly as Kansas City's new deal with Seth Lugo: After posting All-Star numbers for two-thirds of the season, the righty's production soured as soon as he put pen to paper on a three-year deal. He has allowed four-plus runs in four of his last five starts.
In addition to Lugo's sharp decline, the Royals aren't getting particularly consistent outings from Michael Lorenzen or Stephen Kolek. With Kris Bubic done for the season with a rotator cuff injury, and Cole Ragans still working his way through the rehab process, Kansas City finds itself uncomfortably dependent on rookies Noah Cameron and Ryan Bergert (both of whom look great, to be fair).
Kansas City could really use another arm to stabilize the rotation. Buehler hasn't done a ton of stabilizing in 2025, but perhaps a change of scenery and a renewed sense of purpose might do him good. The Royals can slide him into the starting five to finish the campaign and perhaps transition him to a long relief role come October, where he thrived for the Dodgers a year ago.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies recently cut Joe Ross and moved Jordan Romano to the IL, not to mention the Zack Wheeler debacle. Philly doesn't really need an extra starter with how effective Taijuan Walker has been all season, but this rotation still feels fragile around the edges. At worst, Buehler is a worthwhile shot in the dark for long relief bullets.
The regular season really doesn't matter anymore for the Phillies. They need to finish strong and claim the division crown, but success in September is hollow. The Phillies need, rather desperately, to get back to their winning ways in October. For years, Philadelphia was one of the most dependable postseason risers in MLB. Last season's letdown in Queens has changed that perception.
Buehler, to his credit, was an absolute riser in the 2024 playoffs. Granted he was playing for the most loaded team in MLB, but Buehler was able to toggle effortlessly between the rotation and the bullpen and record a ton of important outs for L.A. — including the final three outs of the World Series to close out New York.
As bad as he's been this season in Boston, Buehler can't really do worse than Ross or Romano. God forbid, if another injury strikes in the starting rotation, Buehler at least gives the Phillies an option with experience, rather than calling up a struggling Andrew Painter, who's not ready for big-league pressure. Buehler is only a depth piece, but depth is important.
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs' need for extra pitching depth at the trade deadline was well documented, but Jed Hoyer hardly delivered the necessary support. Their lone starting addition, Michael Soroka, immediately hit the IL. Javier Assad's recent return from a lengthy absence has helped to solidify the rotation, but Chicago would benefit from a depth option. Buehler gives them October pedigree and a more dependable low-leverage arm out of the bullpen than Ben Brown, if nothing else.
This move would feel like too little, too late for Cubs fans, and it would be. But Buehler, again, should benefit from a change of scenery and a mental reset. The Cubs' rotation isn't in dire straits or anything, so there wouldn't be too much pressure on Buehler to come in and eat innings. He can begin as a long reliever and Chicago can see where it goes. If he comes in throwing gas and looking more like his All-Star self from 2019 and 2021, the Cubs can promote him in October.
The bottom tier of Chicago's bullpen really does not hold up to scrutiny. Jordan Wicks has an 8.71 ERA through 10.1 innings; the aforementioned Brown has a 5.88 ERA in 104 innings. Both 26 years old, neither has postseason pedigree or any established track record of stable production. Buehler, while volatile, is a 31-year-old with multiple All-Star berths and World Series wins. He has finished top-10 in Cy Young voting twice.
At the very worst, he's worth the flier. If things don't work out, it's easy enough to cut bait in a month when the postseason roster crunch hits. But when he's not struggling, Buehler can moonlight as one of the best pitchers in MLB. He's due to a resurgence.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers know what Buehler brings to the table. He won two World Series in L.A. and closed out the 2024 World Series in standout fashion. If there's any team where Buehler should feel extra comfortable, especially with October on the horizon, it's the Dodgers. We almost shouldn't even need to talk about other teams.
That said, Los Angeles probably has the least "need" for Buehler, but when has that stopped them? L.A. has endless resources and a glutenous appetite for talent. Improved health has left the Dodgers with a productive six-man rotation. The weakest link right now is Shohei Ohtani, who's bound to turn it up soon enough. He's superhuman. Why are we worrying?
The bullpen has lost a few bullets to injury, but Tanner Scott's recent return shores up the back end. Kirby Yates is back from injury. Eduardo Henriquez has hurled 11 scoreless innings since his call-up. There aren't a ton of holes, especially with Rōki Sasaki a candidate to rejoin the fray before the season is out.
That said, they can find a spot for Buehler in a long relief role. Injuries have been L.A.'s bugaboo all season, so there's no being "too safe." He may or may not get up to speed in time for the postseason, but the Dodgers understand his sleeping giant status and could look to recreate the magic of 2024, when Buehler started slow but picked up steam in the autumn months.