Dodger pitcher makes interesting comments about free agency

Three years ago Walker Buehler was setting himself up to cash in big during free agency.

He had just come off a career-best 2021 season posting a 16-4 record with a 2.47 ERA and 212 strikeouts while finishing fourth in Cy Young voting . Buehler looked like he would be a big free agent in 2025.

However, after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery that ended his 2022 season and kept him out all of 2023, Buehler has not looked the same this season and his upcoming free agency looks bleak.

“I have a six ERA. I’m trying to figure out how to get people out in the major leagues," Buehler said in a column by Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. "Free agency is for talking about when you have a two-five and you’re rolling through the league.

Buehler made that statement coming off a disappointing start against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. He only made it through four innings on 82 pitches, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks.

It wasn't Buehler's worst start of the season and the Dodgers would end up winning the game 6-3, but there are still serious concerns about what his performance will look like come playoff time.

The two-time All-Star's ERA now sits at 6.09 and his WHIP is 1.669 . He has already spent time on the injured list this year with a right hip injury , and the Dodgers need him due to the health problems the pitching staff has faced.

“Honestly,” manager Dave Roberts said in the column, “we don’t have another alternative right now.”

The 2024 version of Buehler is not the same pitcher the Dodgers drafted first-round in 2015. There is a real possibility this disappointing season from Buehler could be his last in Dodger blue.

With his value at an all-time low, it might make sense for Buehler to sign a one-year "prove-it" deal with the Dodgers and then go after a big contract the following year.

It would make the most sense because Buehler underwent both Tommy John surgeries and rehabs while with the Dodgers.