Theoretically, there is a $21 million pitcher sitting out there that the Tigers could sign for free. That would be Walker Buehler, whose relief showing for the Dodgers in the 2024 World Series was one of the highlights of the Fall Classic and made him a hero in L.A.
For a Tigers bunch that is always in need of quality starting pitching, Buehler makes some sense. Detroit has Tarik Skubal, of course, but has precious little in terms of consistency behind him. In their last five starts, Charlie Morton is 2-2 with a 4.61 ERA, and the rest of the rotation has been a struggle.
Jack Flaherty is 1-3 with a 6.33 ERA in his last five starts, and Chris Paddack is 1-2 with a 6.38. Perhaps Boston could afford to get rid of Buehler, a two-time All-Star before injuries issues derailed him, but at 7-7 with a 5.45 ERA, he would fit in with the Tigers. Buehler’s 4.4 walks-per-nine mark is the highest of his career.
Tigers Pegged as Potential Spot
At CBS Sports, there is some speculation that Buehler could land in Detroit, where a magical season has sputtered behind the slumping starting pitchers.
The site’s Matt Snyder wrote: “The Tigers have lost Reese Olson and Jackson Jobe for the season and Casey Mize has struggled for a while. Jack Flaherty has been worse. Who is the No. 2 behind Tarik Skubal for the playoffs? Is it 41-year-old Charlie Morton? Or Chris Paddack? Or Flaherty or Mize?
“They need two starters and maybe three behind Skubal in order to make a deep playoff run. The moves for Morton and Paddack in front of the trade deadline suggested the Tigers are throwing whatever they can against the wall to see what sticks with the rotation. Buehler is an option.”
Walker Buehler Had Moments in Boston
Buehler had some good moments in Boston, enough for the Red Sox to have kept him around into August despite his difficulty staying over the plate. It was only back on August 8 that he gave Boston 6.0 scoreless innings against the Padres, allowing four hits and two walks with four strikeouts. He was brilliant a month ago in Philadelphia, too, when he held the Phillies to one earned run in 7.0 innings of what became an extra-innings loss.
But Buehler was not able to go deep into games, completing 6.0 innings just eight times in 23 appearances. He walked at least three batters 10 times.
Before losing his rotation spot in Boston, Buehler twice called his performances “embarrassing.”
“What do you think?” said Buehler this month. “To be completely frank with you, we can have these questions as much as we want and I can tell you how hard I’m working and how hard we all are working and all that (expletive). At the end of the day, it’s not going so good.”
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