Walker Buehler wasn’t the most surefire addition the Boston Red Sox made this winter, but he might be the most intriguing.
Most would consider Buehler the third piece the Red Sox added, behind projected ace Garrett Crochet and star infielder Alex Bregman. But at his peak, Buehler has been as good as anyone in baseball, making back-to-back National League All-Star teams in 2019 and 2021.
But a lot has transpired since Buehler was last at his peak. He underwent Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire 2023 season, then struggled mightily during the 2024 regular season, posting a 1-5 record and 5.38 ERA in 14 starts.
The 30-year-old drove his stock back up in the playoffs, though, closing out the World Series and spinning 10 consecutive scoreless innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers. That prompted the Red Sox to give him a lucrative one-year deal worth $21.05 million.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report seems to think that investment will pay off handsomely for Boston. Rymer named Buehler among the players he felt were destined for “career revivals” during the 2025 season.
“The last competitive pitch Walker Buehler threw literally ended the World Series,” Rymer wrote. “For the most part, though, his return from his second Tommy John surgery was a downer.”
“Buehler has referred to the Red Sox’s fastball-light approach under pitching coach Andrew Bailey as ‘the next evolution of my career.’ You can thus expect to see more cutters, sinkers and breaking balls from him in 2025, and rightfully so. Those pitches are nasty, and his sweeper in particular.”
The approach Buehler briefly describes above is one that could pay huge dividends. He doesn’t have elite velocity anymore, but his fastball can still play if he’s not relying on it as his primary offering. And with a heavier cutter and sweeper usage in the playoffs, Buehler appeared to have New York Mets and New York Yankees batters mystified.
If Buehler does have a monster season, the Red Sox could struggle to afford his next contract in free agency. But they can’t be worried about that yet, because making the playoffs is all that matters, and Buehler can certainly help them get there.
