Dodgers bring back veteran lefty over Walker Buehler ahead of playoff roster deadline

The Los Angeles Dodgers were gifted a golden opportunity for an impactful playoff reunion during the tail end of August, as waiver shuffles took the spotlight. On Monday, they took the bait, bringing on a former World Series champion and familiar face who excelled in Dodger Blue. Welcome home Wal -- wait, what? Andrew Heaney?!

The Pirates, who held onto several veteran pieces past the trade deadline somewhat inexplicably, regurgitated many of their pieces onto the waiver wire over the past week. The Red Sox, in a far different position than Pittsburgh, simply tired of Walker Buehler and DFA'd him ahead of the weekend to welcome hotshot left-hander Payton Tolle onto their roster. The Dodgers, confronted with the choice between Buehler's continued regression and Heaney's horrid second half, chose to sign the 34-year-old left-hander instead.

Heaney will return to the organization with Triple-A Oklahoma City, and has arrived ahead of the deadline for postseason roster eligibility. If LA deems him ready to contribute in October, they'll be able to give him the nod.

Buehler? He went to the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night instead, and will purportedly be part of a six-man rotation in Philly. There's a chance the Dodgers will lock horns with him in October.

Los Angeles Dodgers sign Andrew Heaney instead of Walker Buehler ahead of postseason roster eligibility deadline

Heaney's last run in Los Angeles largely went well, though he ran out of steam by the end of the season. Mark Prior became the latest in a long line of pitching coaches and executives to fall in love with Heaney and attempt to unlock him, and a new wrinkle in his arsenal led to significant end-of-first-half success following his debut. He's never been able to harness his strikeout stuff as well as he did in LA, when he whiffed 110 men in 72 2/3 frames, but only made one three-inning appearance in the postseason, as the Dodgers bowed out early at the hands of the Padres. If there's any organization that can turn around his Pittsburgh slide - 5.39 ERA on the year, far worse lately, a paltry 84 Ks in 120 1/3 innings - it's LA.

As for Buehler? Coming off a year where nothing went right in LA until October ... nothing has gone right. The Phillies will take the bet that his scuffles will reverse course on a dime once again under the bright lights, while the Dodgers will instead opt for a different known quantity.