Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Walker Buehler will take the mound for the sixth time in his new uniform on Saturday. How many more outings are still to come?
Buehler signed just a one-year contract with the Red Sox in December, coming off an injury-shortened, mediocre regular season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The two-time All-Star has been up-and-down already in Boston, but he carries a 1.96 ERA in his last three starts.
As Buehler looks to lead the Red Sox back to the postseason this year, some natural questions have arisen. Are the Red Sox interested in bringing Buehler back beyond 2025? And if so, how much will it cost to keep him in town?
On Saturday, FanSided’s Henry Blickenstaff threw out an educated guess at what a Buehler extension would have to look like for Boston to get the job done in-season: somewhere in the range of four years, $80 million and five years, $100 million.
“The Red Sox would have to be careful with any extension they hand out given Buehler’s injury history and performance in the last couple seasons,” Blickenstaff wrote. “Buehler is also already 30 and presumably past his prime. It’d be a big surprise if he totally regained the form of his younger self.
“An extension at this stage would probably be for around four to five years and be valued at about $20 million per year. That average annual value is less than what he’s making now, but he would get far more guaranteed money and the Red Sox shouldn’t expect him to be as valuable as he ages.”
Frankly, a nine-figure deal seems like a stretch for the Red Sox based on their pattern in recent years. They shown a preference for extending players as young as possible (Rafael Devers, Garrett Crochet, Kristian Campbell) under both Chaim Bloom and Craig Breslow.
However, it’s possible Buehler will meet the Red Sox halfway. He indicated a preference to earn a long-term deal in Boston shortly after making the city his new home.
“I hope I’m good enough this year that I get to stay in Boston the rest of my career,” Buehler said during an appearance on the “Section 10” podcast in January.
Of course, if the Red Sox aren’t willing to play ball, Buehler will have no choice but to look elsewhere. But the better he pitches, the higher the odds that Breslow and the front office will be open to a big-dollar deal.
