Dodgers $32 million World Series hero may defect to Yankees after Blake Snell signing image
The Los Angeles Dodgers have plenty to be thankful for this year, and not only because they won a World Series.
Sure, the turkey tastes a little better when you’ve got a diamond-encrusted ring coming your way. But even in the time since the Fall Classic, the Dodgers are still finding new ways to get a leg up on the competition. However, even the biggest wins have side effects.
The Dodgers signed free-agent pitcher Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract, giving them the most fearsome starting rotation in all of baseball. But there can only be five (maybe six) starters in a rotation, and that means one of the best starters the Dodgers have had in the last decade is likely on the outs.
30-year-old Walker Buehler, a lifelong Dodger who closed out the clinching game of the World Series, no longer appears to have a spot in the LA rotation. Fittingly enough, he could be bound for the team he just helped to take down in the World Series.
The New York Yankees have already shown interest in Buehler, and their rotation, unlike the Dodgers’, has some wiggle room. Jacob Mountz of FanSided recently named Buehler as a strong fit for the Yankees in free agency.
“Walker Buehler is not one of the top names on the market but he could still be the top arm. Brian Cashman has already picked up on this tidbit of useful information and has seemingly joined the pursuit,”Mountz said.
“Having witnessed Buehler’s postseason excellence firsthand, there isn’t any doubt to why the Yankees want him. This winter, Buehler could be the unexpected prize of the offseason.”
Buehler had a rough regular season in 2024, his first season back after undergoing Tommy John surgery in late 2022. He had a 5.38 ERA in 14 starts, pitching to a 1-5 record. However, he also shined in the postseason, dropping his lifetime playoff ERA to 3.04 in 94 1/3 innings.
It would hurt Dodgers fans to see Buehler in the Yankee pinstripes, but there’s no longer room. for him among all the other superstars in the LA rotation. Mixed emotions would certainly abound if Buehler met the Dodgers in next season’s Fall Classic.
