Now that the World Series is over, players who entered 2024 in the final year of their contracts are eligible for free agency.
First, MLB will observe a a five-day “quiet period” during which those free agents can only negotiate with their current team.
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Perhaps no player increased his free-agent stock over the past week than Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler.
After throwing five shutout innings in Game 3 against the New York Yankees, Buehler was among few palatable pitchers at manager Dave Roberts’ disposal for the final inning of Game 5.
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Buehler pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close out the Dodgers’ 7-6 win. In the sixth inning, the Dodgers and Yankees were tied 5-5 when Buehler walked to the Dodgers’ bullpen in preparation for a possible late-game appearance. The 30-year-old right-hander had not pitched in relief since 2018 — and never in the postseason.
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After Blake Treinen pitched a scoreless eighth inning to preserve the Dodgers’ one-run lead, Buehler stepped up with his second clutch performance of the World Series.
The ending was a triumphant one for a pitcher who struggled mightily at times in his first season back following the second Tommy John surgery of his career. Buehler went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA in 16 regular season starts.
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Although that might have been enough to disqualify him from the postseason roster in some years, the injury-riddled Dodgers rotation needed Buehler in spite of — not because of — his performance.
The San Diego Padres torched Buehler for six runs in the second inning of Game 3 in the National League Division Series. But that was the only inning of the 15 Buehler pitched this postseason in which he allowed a run.
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In a postgame interview with David Vassegh on SportsNet LA, Buehler confessed just how deeply he felt the toll of his season-long struggles, which included missing the better part of two months with a hip injury.
“I thought I was going to get released,” Buehler told Vassegh.
“I don’t think you’ll get released now,” Vassegh responded.
“We’ll see,” Buehler said, before rejoining his celebrating teammates in the visitors’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium.
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Clearly, Buehler’s free-agent status was not far from his mind even in a moment of triumph.
Buehler is eligible to receive a qualifying offer, a one-year contract worth $21.05 million for 2025. Although a salary that high might have seemed unfathomable when the month of October began, it’s now worth asking whether Buehler has pitched well enough this postseason to receive the qualifying offer.
Would he accept the Dodgers’ qualifying offer, or test the free agent waters for the first time instead? As Buehler himself said: We’ll see.
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