Walker Buehler is one of the more interesting free agent cases on the market after a mixed season for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Buehler, who was coming off a second career Tommy John surgery, struggled in the regular season with a 5.38 ERA across 75.1 innings. But in the postseason, Buehler was fantastic in the National League Championship Series and World Series, finishing on a streak of 10 innings without allowing a run and picking up a save to close out Game 5.
Once an ace and among the top pitchers in baseball, Buehler no longer has the stuff that helped make him an elite starter. But he has consistently performed in the postseason and was potentially rebounding late in the season.
His market is already developing with the Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs all showing varying levels of interest, but there is at least one team he will not play for.
The Athletics tried to make their case to sign Buehler, but he declined to play in Sacramento, manager Mark Kotsay said via Kasey Kazliner of Annenberg Media:
At USC’s SBA Summit, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said the A’s were talking to Walker Buehler but he didn’t want to play in Sacramento. #Athletics
— Kasey Kazliner (@kaseyjkaz) November 21, 2024
The A’s will be playing at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento from 2025 through at least 2027 while they complete the process of making the move from Oakland to Las Vegas. The A’s Las Vegas stadium is under construction and is expected to be completed for the 2028 season.
Sutter Health Park is a Minor League stadium, which is also home of the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The A’s and River Cats will be sharing the stadium for the next three seasons.
It’s likely most free agents will pass on the opportunity to play at a Minor League ballpark again, especially those who have a market with other interested teams. And that’s aside from the A’s having a team that is not expected to compete for the playoffs anytime soon.
Buehler has choices on where he would like to play next season, and while the Dodgers may be his preferred destination, things in free agency can change quickly. But based on Buehler’s competitive nature, he is likely to prioritize signing with a team that has a chance to win a World Series.
Walker Buehler lied to Mark Prior during World Series
Buehler revealed he lied to Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior about throwing before entering Game 5 so he could pitch the ninth inning.
Buehler had previously revealed he informed the Dodgers front office and coaching staff the morning of Game 5 that he would be available out of the bullpen.
He ended up striking out two of the three batters he faced on 16 pitches en route to his first Major League save. It capped off a remarking postseason run for both him and the Dodgers.
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