"I was the Dodgers ace." Release pain Buehler signed a minor contract with SD... Why are you putting a dagger in your old team

*This content was translated by AI.

Walker Buehler (32), who once led the LA Dodgers' starting lineup along with Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha) and Clayton Kershaw, will sign a minor league contract.

The San Diego Union-Tribune said on the 17th (Korea Standard Time) that "San Diego has signed a minor league contract with Buehler." Buehler will enter San Diego's starting rotation competition through spring camp.

San Diego, which acquired Griffin Canning and Hermann Marquez last week, has signed Buehler as a non-ster guest.

With Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Joe Musgrove confirmed as the starting pitchers for the opening game, new coach Craig Starman said last week that Randy Vazquez is likely to secure the fourth starting position by performing well at the end of last year, and Buehler is expected to make a needle hole along with Marquez, Canning and J.P. Sears for the remaining starting position.

Buehler, who was drafted by the Dodgers 24th overall in the first round in 2015, made his big league debut in 2017 and quickly distinguished himself. Buehler, who won eight games the following year, won 14 games in 2019 and began leading the team's starters along with Ryu Hyun-jin and Kershaw.

In 2021, he recorded a career high with 16 wins and 2.47 212 strikeouts in 207 ⅔ innings, and was named an All-Star twice, but his injury was hampered.

Buehler, who went on his second elbow surgery in 2022, has since gone downhill. Buehler, who flew through the 2023 season, was 1-6 in 16 games in 2024 and only ERA 5.38, but the Boston Red Sox signed a $21.5 million (about 30.4 billion won) salary contract for the Dodgers, but he was sluggish with an ERA of 5.45 in 23 games in Boston, eventually released in August, and pitched well with three wins and ERA 0.66 in three games after joining the Philadelphia Phillies, but failed to make a powerful pitch. The average speed was 94 miles (151.3 kilometers), which was lower than before, and the rotation speed of the pitch also decreased sharply compared to its heyday.

Major League Trade Rumors (MLBTR) said, "Buehler's walk rate last season also reached 10.8%, the highest of his career, as he is struggling to strike out in and out of the strike zone and batters reduce their batting on balls outside the strike zone."

Nevertheless, he is still a player who can expect a rebound. It is enough resources to throw balls that belong to the league's average speed and to explore the possibilities together in the spring camp because San Diego does not guarantee a roster or a large salary.

If he settles down in the starting rotation without difficulty, he can also imagine putting a dagger against the Dodgers, his former team in the same district. However, it is compelling to think about the opposite case.

"Buehler may not start the season in Triple-A if he does not secure a starting position," MLBTR said. "He is a free agent given to a sixth-year player who finished last season on the major league roster. Players who sign a minor league contract at least 10 days before the opening day can exercise three contract termination provisions five days before the opening day, May 1 and June 1 under a collective agreement. Buehler explained that if San Diego does not include him on the first-team roster, he could invoke the clause during the final week of spring training to explore other opportunities.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.