Red Sox Likely Free-Agent Target Could Boost Stock With Big NLCS Performance

Wednesday night will be a crucial one for all parties involved…

Apr 28, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of an Los Angeles Dodgers player durng a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox may not be playing baseball still this October (their own fault), but they still have skin in the game.

The stated mission of the Red Sox in 2025 is to make it back to the playoffs, and there are clear needs to fill on the roster to make that happen. Playoff-caliber players tend to be playing in the playoffs, so the Red Sox must be locked into the action as they sort out who to pursue in free agency.

Some targets are obvious. The Red Sox need right-handed hitting, so Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernández, who is having a huge year, is a name Boston is watching closely. But what if a free agent having an awful season can turn his narrative around and become a Red Sox target?

Right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler takes the ball for the Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday at Citi Field against the New York Mets. And though Buehler’s year has been bad on the whole, a good performance could boost his stock in the eyes of the Red Sox and other teams looking for free-agent pitching.

Not much has gone Buehler’s way in 2024, but every playoff game is a new opportunity to rewrite the narrative. He had a 1-6 record and 5.38 ERA in 16 starts this season, then got rocked for six earned runs (not all of which were deserved) in his performance against the San Diego Padres in the Division Series.

However, Buehler is also a two-time All-Star, and early on in his career, he developed a reputation as a big-game pitcher. He tossed seven shutout innings against the Red Sox in Game 3 of the 2018 World Series, which wound up being the only contest the Dodgers would win in that Fall Classic matchup.

The Red Sox also said their winter strategy last year was to look at starting pitchers who had struggled but were on track for bounce-back years. Names like Jack Flaherty, Seth Lugo, and Lucas Giolito (who they eventually signed) all mirror Buehler in that free-agent archetype.

After missing all of the 2023 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, it’s possible that Buehler simply needed some time to recalibrate. He might have dealt with his struggles in the regular season, but his stuff can still be electric if he has the command to harness it in the playoffs.

It’s a big night for Buehler on Wednesday. But it’s also a big night for the Red Sox, because they could be getting a look at a future member of their starting rotation.