Walker Buehler's dud against Cubs should be clear sign he's destined to leave Dodgers

With every passing start, Walker Buehler is proving his obsolescence with the Dodgers. Going into his latest outing against the Cubs, he had a 5.67 ERA through 12 starts and two IL stints to his name. He left his Sept. 3 start against the Angels in decent form; he pitched five innings and gave up two runs (both homers) while striking out six batters, and said that he felt like himself again afterwards.

Whatever resolve he might've found then completely crumbled when the Dodgers welcomed the Cubs to Chavez Ravine. Buehler was on the bump for the series opener, and he immediately gave up a leadoff single to Ian Happ. Happ was called out on a Dansby Swanson groundout, but Swanson reached first safely.

Then Cody Bellinger, who seems to make every game against the Dodgers into a revenge game, hit a two-run homer to start the scoring for Chicago. It didn't end there, because of course it didn't, and fellow former Dodger Michael Busch tacked on another in the top of the first with an RBI single.

By the time the Dodgers pulled Buehler in the top of the sixth after allowing a walk and a single, he'd given up five runs and nine hits.

Dodgers' Walker Buehler cements his pumpkin status with latest start against the Cubs

The final score was 10-4, with Busch also homering off of Buehler. Busch went 4-5 with three RBI that night, proving again that he's an absolute Dodger killer. The Dodgers scored on an RBI single for Mookie Betts, a sac fly for Max Muncy, and then a two-run homer for Betts, but otherwise couldn't catch up with the seven-run lead the Cubs had put up by the end of the sixth.

Buehler is approaching free agency quickly, and with his performances this season, it's unlikely that he makes the postseason rotation at all. If he does, it'll only be because of the Dodgers' many, many pitching injuries that have been dragging the roster down.

The Dodgers are very fond of Buehler, and no one is saying that they shouldn't be. Before he got hurt, he was a Rookie of the Year candidate, two-time All-Star and two-time Cy Young candidate, and he had the best winning percentage in the National League in 2019. He's also totally homegrown, having gone to the Dodgers in the first round of the 2015 draft.

But now is the time to move on. The Dodgers shouldn't hold onto Buehler for sentimental reasons, or for some kind of nebulous hope that he'll be able to get back to the pitcher he used to be when he's shown little indication of that this season. Let him revamp his career elsewhere. The Dodgers have way too much money on the line (and way too many starters for 2025 anyway) to be making concessions.