Ex-Yankees coach makes feelings known on Red Sox signing Walker Buehler for $21,000,000

The Boston Red Sox had a clear plan for strengthening their lackluster rotation after missing out on the postseason for a third consecutive time in 2024. They added an All-Star arm, reportedly signing former Dodgers starter Walker Buehler on Monday.

Boston reportedly agreed to a one-year, $21.05 million contract with the two-time World Series winner. Buehler will join another newcomer, Garrett Crochet, who was traded from the Chicago White Sox earlier this month.

Former Yankees hitting coach Sean Casey shared his thoughts on the Red Sox acquiring the 2024 World Series winner on The Mayor's Office with Sean Casey.

While his co-host Rich Ciancimino talked about how teams are retooling the roster and adding backup options, Casey highlighted the Red Sox's latest signing (9:55 onwards):

"Talking about a plan B, the Red Sox, this morning, signed Walker Buehler. That's a nice pickup. Walker Buehler, listen, you go back to that postseason. Dave Roberts is bringing him in to close out game five to win the World Series, you know. That curveball he was throwing was elite.

"He's over a year out of Tommy John, that could be a great signing for the Red Sox, they got Crochet and Buehler's back, and then you got the rest of that rotation."

Walker Buehler returned to the mound for the Dodgers after nearly two years of inaction due to surgery. His return didn't go as planned, as the ace served a career-worst 5.38 ERA during the regular season.

However, he improved in the Dodgers' run to the World Series in October and went scoreless over five innings in Game 3 against the Yankees. He was also called upon by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to finish a tense Game 5. Buehler delivered a scoreless ninth inning to help the NL West team to their eighth World Series title.

Red Sox strengthen rotation with Walker Buehler's addition

Walker Buehler's addition makes the Red Sox one of the most stacked rotations in the league, featuring Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello.

While Buehler has the pedigree of pitching in the postseason and coming clutch for his teams, his injury history means he would like to be the second of third in the rotation behind Crochet, followed by Houck.

The Red Sox also signed Patrick Sandoval on a two-year, $18.25 million deal last week. However, Sandoval won't be part of the rotation for the first half of the 2025 season, as he's recovering from Tommy John surgery.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash