Now that it is confirmed Spencer Strider will not be ready for Opening Day, and it could be much longer than that after he suffered a torn UCL in April, starting pitching has become a priority for the Braves this offseason. Max Fried is also set to test free agency, and the future of Charlie Morton is unknown as well. Even if Morton does decide to play another season, there’s no guarantee it will be with the Braves.
Atlanta’s rotation still isn’t in a terrible spot, though. Chris Sale is coming off a season in which he won the NL Triple Crown and will soon be named the National League Cy Young Award winner. Reynaldo Lopez’s transition to the rotation could not have gone better, outside of a couple of IL stints due primarily to fatigue, and Spencer Schwellenbach looks like a rising star. Assuming Spencer Strider is back at some point next season, that’s a lot of firepower, but another arm to round out the rotation with some upside could really ease any concerns heading into next season.
Luckily, that’s Alex Anthopoulos’ area of expertise. Nobody loves taking gambles on high upside players on short-term contracts more than the Braves general manger, and nobody is better at picking winners either.
37. Walker Buehler: One year, $15MM
Tim: Tigers / Anthony: Guardians /Darragh: Tigers / Steve: Braves
Much of the 2024 season couldn’t have gone much worse for Buehler. The righty has looked like a shell of his former self since returning from the second Tommy John surgery of his career. Buehler made 16 starts in the regular season and was tagged for a 5.38 earned run average across 75 1/3 innings. He allowed nearly two home runs per nine innings while striking out just 18.6% of batters faced. His 8.2% swinging strike rate was more than three points lower than his career average.
Buehler’s fortunes changed in October. After the Padres rocked him for six runs over five innings in his first start, he tossed consecutive scoreless appearances with 11 strikeouts over nine frames against the Mets and Yankees. As a heavily worked Dodger bullpen threatened to run out of steam in Game 5 of the World Series, Dave Roberts called upon Buehler. He fired a perfect inning with two strikeouts, locking down the title with a strikeout of Alex Verdugo.
From 2018-2022, Walker Buehler was as good as any pitcher in baseball. He was named to the NL All-Star team twice and finished inside the top 10 of the NL Cy Young voting twice as well.
Then, Tommy John surgery struck, an all too familiar story for a lot of the dominant arms in the game. It ended his 2022 season and cost him all of 2023. When he finally returned this year, it was a mess… until it wasn’t.
Down several of their top arms, the Dodgers had no choice but to turn to Buehler in the postseason, who picked the perfect time to turn back the clock. He didn’t allow a run in his final three postseason appearances, which included the last three outs of Game 5 of the World Series, sealing the deal for the Dodgers over the Yankees.
The market for Walker Buehler this offseason will be intriguing. His track record of success, upside, and postseason performance could lead to a desperate organization throwing a multi-year deal at him. But his best bet is probably signing a one-year deal and then re-entering the market, when the offers could be much more lucrative.
That’s something the Braves will probably be very interested in, but so will a lot of teams, including the Dodgers. If I’m the Dodgers, who have limitless funds, I’m not sure how I could let anyone outbid me for one year of Walker Buehler, and if I’m Buehler, why would I want to play anywhere else?
—
Photographer: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.