Red Sox can follow Walker Buehler signing with extra burn on Dodgers

On Monday morning, Russell Dorsey of Yahoo Sports reported that Walker Buehler had agreed to a one-year, $21.05 million deal with $2.5 million in incentives with the Red Sox, officially ending his tenure as a Dodger after eight major league seasons in LA.

Most predictions for a new Buehler contract fell between $10-15 million for one year (or possibly two, following the postseason), but the fact that Buehler signed a deal identical to the qualifying offer the Dodgers failed to offer him made it pretty clear that no one actually had any idea how his market was going to pan out (and/or, the Dodgers just never wanted him back at all). Luis Severino's $67 million deal with the Athletics, struck after most of those predictions were made, also completely skewed the market for mid-range starters.

The Dodgers are no strangers to battling with the Red Sox for free agents or trade candidates, but LA usually comes out on top. Last year, they got Red Sox targets Teoscar Hernández and James Paxton, and this year, LA won the chase for Blake Snell.

For fans, Buehler is Boston's biggest offseason win over LA yet. It's unclear if the Dodgers ever really wanted him back at all, but it's certainly a blow to a fanbase that still has a clear sentimental attachment.

Worse is the fact that the Red Sox still have a shot at getting another former Dodger who fans want back even more than Buehler. Hernández is still a free agent, and he seems to be slipping through the Dodgers' fingertips a little more every day.

Red Sox have a clear opportunity to poach another Dodgers star after Walker Buehler as Teoscar Hernández remains unsigned

Hernández and the Dodgers have reportedly reached an "impasse" in contract negotiations, and the problem, according to Ken Rosenthal, is money (subscription required). The Dodgers front office hasn't given fans much to complain about over the last few years, but if they fail to bring Hernández back when his asking price is incredibly reasonable and expected, and after they flashed $600 million at Juan Soto? That would definitely get fans riled up.

Red Sox media never got over the fact that Hernández turned them down for the Dodgers, and kept asking questions about his decision well into the 2024 season. Although there's a lot more to this than the fact that Dodgers fans don't want to let Hernández get away to any other team, no matter who it is, it really just can't be Boston, whose fans will never shut up about it if they get him.