Are the Boston Red Sox done adding to their starting rotation?
On Wednesday, the Red Sox shored up their rotation in a major way, trading for fireballing lefty Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox to be their new ace. However, it doesn’t appear that the Red Sox are done shopping.
Boston wants at least one more starter, as evidenced by the rumors within hours of the Crochet trade that they were still in trade talks with the Seattle Mariners as well. And one popular name that’s frequently been traced to the Red Sox has been former Los Angeles Dodgers star Walker Buehler.
Buehler had a rough regular season in his return from Tommy John surgery, but bounced back with a dominant playoff run that salvaged much of his free-agent value. And now, teams interested in his services, like the Red Sox, are getting a peek at how the two-time All-Star values himself this winter.
On Thursday, Buster Olney of ESPN reported that Buehler and his representatives are seeking a multi-year contract that includes opt-outs, while mentioning the Red Sox as one of the teams that had looked into signing the 30-year-old righty.
“Walker Buehler is one of the most established free-agent pitchers still on the board following his strong showing in October, and per sources, his reps looking for multi-year deal with opt-outs,” Olney said.
“Yankees had talked about him before (Max) Fried signed. Red Sox, Tigers, Giants, among others.”
Buehler had a 5.38 ERA in 14 starts during the 2024 regular season, but finished the year on a 10-inning scoreless streak in the playoffs, including the World Series-clinching save. He’s got a 3.04 career postseason ERA in 94 1/3 innings, and a 3.27 overall ERA in seven big-league seasons.
At his best, Buehler would be an excellent number-two behind Crochet. But it’s hard to know if the Red Sox would be getting the best version of a pitcher who has thrown just 100 innings in the last 28 months.
However, adding opt-outs to the contract should make it more palatable for both the Red Sox and Buehler. Ideally, the average annual value would be low enough that Boston could land him for a semi-reasonable price tag compared to the rest of the free-agent starters.
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