MLB Stock Report: Walker Buehler’s Impact On the Phillies, Plus Players of the Week

A month ago, Dave Dombrowski wouldn’t have seriously considered picking up a pitcher like Walker Buehler. But trying to win without Zack Wheeler changed everything.

Buehler was released over the weekend by the Boston Red Sox after their patience ran out. Signed to a one-year, $21.05 deal, he recorded a 5.45 ERA in 22 starts for the Sox — a performance that was nearly identical to his 2024 regular season with the Los Angeles Dodgers (5.38 ERA in 16 starts). 

The right-hander’s track record since recovering from a second-career Tommy John surgery in 2022 is trending downward. The 30-year-old is no longer the pitcher he once was, when he possessed an elite strikeout rate, vacuumed innings, and earned Cy Young votes. Buehler is not the first pitcher to become a diminished version of himself after multiple elbow reconstructions, and he won’t be the last. 

Still, there is hope. And no downside to signing him. Buehler is owed just the prorated amount of the MLB minimum salary ($760,000). He’s eligible to pitch in the postseason.

The Phillies need Buehler to balance their rotation in October. When Wheeler ended his season in mid-August due to thoracic outlet syndrome, the Phillies were stuck with three lefties (Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suarez and Jesus Luzardo) and one righty (Aaron Nola). 

Using an all-lefty rotation is not ideal, particularly against the Dodgers and Brewers, the top two National League offenses against southpaws. It always made more sense for the Phillies to move either Suarez or Luzardo to the bullpen in the playoffs, when only four starting pitchers are needed in a five-or seven-game series. But there was no obvious right-handed solution to help fill the hole Wheeler left behind.

Perhaps Buehler and his