Walker Buehler's Red Sox spring training debut might have Dodgers regretting decision

Just weeks after Walker Buehler threw the final strikeout of the Los Angeles Dodgers' 2024 World Series win, the team opted not to extend him a qualifying offer, to the surprise of some fans.

Buehler was a homegrown pitcher many expected to see in Dodger Blue for years to come. But when the righty hit free agency, he signed with the Boston Red Sox to join, arguably, the team's best rotation in a while.

The veteran signed with Boston for the exact qualifying offer figure the Dodgers declined to give him — one year at $21.05 million. His first season with the Red Sox hasn't started yet, but Buehler has already expressed interest in signing with them long-term. If he continues to pitch as well as he did in his spring training debut, the front office could be quick to capitalize on such an offer.

Buehler posted his first game in a Red Sox uniform on March 2 against the Mets and racked up four strikeouts in just two innings. He let up one hit in his outing — a double off the bat of Jeff McNeil, the first batter he faced — but found his footing quickly afterward.

Former Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler shines in Red Sox spring training debut with four strikeouts

Buehler underwent UCL repair surgery during the 2022 season. and it kept him sidelined the following season and much of 2024. The righty didn't pitch as well last season as Dodgers fans are used to, as he clocked a 5.38 ERA over 75.1 innings. Buehler is a career 3.27 ERA pitcher, and he may be well on his way to throwing like his old self, but a two-inning spring training debut isn't enough evidence to be sure.

But, if Buehler can recover and become his 2021 "2.47 ERA over 33 starts" self again, the Dodgers may regret letting him walk. In October, his strikeout of former Dodger Alex Verdugo made him a World Series hero and a fixture of the celebration pictures and memories that will last a lifetime among LA fans. The Red Sox haven't lost when they've made it to the World Series in the 21st century, and Buehler helping them win with his recent history of excellent playoff performances could hurt.

His name will also be brutal in a Boston accent. Maybe the Dodgers should've kept Buehler in LA.