Will history repeat itself in 2025?
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series a season ago, and they did so with a patchwork pitching staff that included only three starting pitchers. Two of those starters left in free agency, but the Dodgers thought they had such a loaded rotation that there wasn't room for either of them to come back.
Now, the Dodgers' rotation is so injured that they might be wishing for a do-over. But one of those starters they lost, Jack Flaherty, is on the first-place Detroit Tigers and won't be traded this time around.
The other, Walker Buehler, signed a one-year, $21 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, and he's been dreadful of late. But according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan, that still might not deter the Dodgers from bringing him back.
On Tuesday, McDaniel and Passan assigned Buehler a 35 percent chance of being traded, and named the Dodgers among the "best fits" to acquire him from Boston.
"If the Red Sox do punt on this year, Buehler will have plenty of suitors in spite of his mediocre numbers this season," the authors wrote.
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"His postseason bona fides are obvious, and his sinker and slider have both played this season despite his fastball and curveball getting tagged. Starter, reliever, whatever: October is Buehler's time."
Buehler owns a 3.04 ERA in 94 2/3 career postseason innings (all in LA), including one earned run in 19 1/3 World Series innings. But his 6.29 ERA is a massive concern, especially considering he walked a career-high seven batters on Monday night and hit two more.
While Buehler might not be the Dodgers' first choice, even considering familiarity, he's worth monitoring as a fit, especially considering the price may drop if the Red Sox fall out of the race and he keeps struggling.
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