Leaving the Dodgers surely wasn’t an easy decision for Walker Buehler.

Buehler broke into professional baseball in the Los Angeles organization as a 2015 first-round draft pick. The right-hander went on to experience great success over seven seasons with the Dodgers, who he helped win two World Series championships. One of those Fall Classic triumphs was last fall when the ever-confident Buehler logged the final three outs of the Dodgers’ title-clinching victory in New York.

Los Angeles, according to The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham, was interested in retaining Buehler following his brilliant playoff run. The 30-year-old, however, sought a new adventure and signed a free-agent deal with the Boston Red Sox in late December.

“It’s been exciting for me to be around a new group of guys and new coaches and see how they prepare,” Buehler told Abraham. “There wasn’t anything about LA that I disliked. But given the way I struggled last season, then have a cherry on the top, it seemed like as good a time as any to take the next step.”

By saying goodbye to the Dodgers, Buehler nixed his arguably best chance to win another World Series in 2025. Los Angeles is that talented, but Buehler also has a great chance to win in Boston this year. He’s poised to play a major role in a revamped starting rotation, and the Red Sox’s overall talent on the roster is much improved from seasons ago.

And who knows? If Boston lives up to expectations, maybe Buehler will battle his former team with everything on the line this October.