The Red Sox’s rotation makeover continues.
Boston is signing Dodgers postseason hero Walker Buehler to a one-year, $21.05 million contract that includes $2.5 million in performance incentives, according ESPN.
Buehler, 30, marks Boston’s second major starting pitching acquisition this offseason, along with its trade for former White Sox Garrett Crochet.
Boston set out this offseason to upgrade a rotation that ranked 17th with a 4.04 ERA and the unit is clearly better after adding Crochet and Buehler.
The Red Sox now have to hope they receive the Buehler who pitched in the NLCS and World Series and not the Buehler from the regular season and the NLDS.
In his return from his second Tommy John surgery last offseason, Buehler went just 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA spanning 16 starts. He posted a career-low 7.6 strikes out per innings.
His first postseason start did not go well, with Buehler allowing six runs in five innings in a loss to the Padres.
But then it all changed.
Buehler blanked the Mets over four scoreless innings in Game 3 of the NLCS, shut out the Yankees over five innings in Game 3 of the World Series and the recorded the title-clinching save in Game 5.
He yielded just five hits in 10 innings while striking out 13 spanning those three outings.
Buehler seemingly is hoping he can have a strong year in Boston and then cash in next offseason when he doesn’t have the stink of the 5.38 ERA attached to him.
However, pitching in the AL East where he will face the Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles and even the Rays and having Fenway Park as his home stadium could work against him.
Boston is now set to start Crochet, Buehler, Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito after last season’s 81-81 finish.
