Who is he and where does he come from?

He’s Walker Buehler. I’m not sure how good your short-term memory is, but he threw the last pitch of the season just gone against the New York Yankees, ending the Dodgers’ victory in Game 5 of the World Series. Yes, he is a reigning World Series champion! A two-time champion and two-time All-Star, he had worked toward a Hall of Very Good title and also finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting twice. But now it’s been another year since he had to miss an entire season because he originally suffered a bone spur in his elbow but ended up having to undergo a second Tommy John surgery. He comes to the Red Sox on a one-year, $21 million, “proof” contract and is the team’s second signing in about two weeks…but keep that number in mind later in the article.

Is he good?

He’s been very, very good in the past. But in his first season after his second Tommy John, he experienced a noticeable decline. There are obviously concerns about his durability, as he has now pitched two straight seasons with fewer than 100 innings. However, let me remind you that he threw 200 innings in 2021 and 182 innings in 2019. That’s correct Also What is noteworthy is that his speed on his four-seater, which he used much more slowly from 2024, did not decrease significantly – a little less than one mile per hour, which corresponds to a speed of about 95 miles per hour. He also has an ankle curve that causes hitters to chase WAY outside the strike zone.

In 2024, he ranked in the bottom 20 percent of pitchers in xERA in pitched run value, chase-and-whiff percentage, and strikeout percentage, and experienced his fourth consecutive season of declining strikeout percentage. Ratio…but look at those Savant numbers for 2021 and tell me there isn’t a good pitcher in there.

It’s now up to Andrew Bailey to figure out how to keep Buehler healthy and revamp his repertoire post-surgery.

Tl;dr, just give me his 2024 stats.

75.1 IP, 5.38 ERA, 1-6, -0.2 ERA, 64 K, 28 BB

Career: 47-22, 3.27 ERA, 15 WAR, 754 K, 190 BB

Show me a cool highlight.

Buehler was the man the Dodgers trusted to win the World Series by a one-run margin, albeit against the bottom of the Yankees’ lineup, including Alex Verdugo (hold your laughter). Look at that 13-inch horizontal break in that final knuckle turn. This pitch really hits home.

What is he doing in his picture up there?

Celebrate, about five seconds after the aforementioned highlight. Personally, I love it when athletes do that “arms up” pose after being hugged like that. He dares a team to pay him in the offseason. And he was born to outplay Alex Verdugo.

What role does he play in the 2025 Red Sox?

I want them to be clear that $21 million is a gross overpayment for a pitcher who had the worst year of his career. Yusei Kikuchi and Sean Manaea earned over $20 million a year. Nick Pivetta will do it too. I also want to be clear: I will overpay ANYONE for a one-year contract. To put it bluntly: If he sucks, the deal is over and we’re not bringing him back.

Bühler is 30 years old. If he’s good in the rotation, John Henry will move money to keep him – or get legitimate criticism if he doesn’t. Now, with this signing, someone who could potentially be more reliable in the long run is in the running – the Seattle pitchers are probably out of the question, and Corbin Burnes will certainly sign elsewhere. But in a fantasy world where injuries don’t happen, I’m not mad at a rotation of Crochet, Houck, Buehler, Bello and Crawford. In a realistic world where injuries occur, or perhaps one where Crochet’s workload is still being monitored, a few more depth pieces – and GOOD depth pieces – need to be added to the bullpen. But this one-year commitment might as well not be a commitment; and we hope Buehler continues to build his Hall of Very Good case here in Boston.