Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images

As veteran right-hander Walker Buehler contemplates the next move of his MLB career, it seems that he has far fewer suitors than he did just a year ago. Last offseason, Buehler was coming off the high of closing out the World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but this time around, his 2025 results may be playing into him remaining a free agent.

*PREDICTION*

Buehler signed with the Boston Red Sox last offseason, in a move that was expected to help him fully return to form after multiple brutal injuries. But things never worked out well with Boston, and the veteran right-hander struggled to maintain any form of consistency on the mound as the season went along.

The veteran made 23 appearances for the Red Sox, posting an ERA of 5.45 over 112.1 innings of work. Boston made the decision to move on from him toward the end of the season, and from there, Buehler latched on with the Philadelphia Phillies.

In Philadelphia, Buehler did look like his old self, albeit on a very small sample size of 13.2 innings. During this time with the Phillies, he did put up an ERA of 0.66.

Buehler didn’t pitch in the playoffs for Philadelphia, but his late-season success could help him land another deal, even if it’s just an invite to Spring Training with a team. The veteran has been one of the better postseason pitchers in recent memory, and all teams could use an arm like this.

We see teams bring on low-risk, potentially high-reward players all the time around the league, and Buehler could be the perfect candidate for this heading into 2026. There have been a few teams to show interest in him this offseason, but his waiting game could go on even longer as other dominoes begin to fall around the league.

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Walker Buehler Heads to Atlanta Braves

One team that could look to take a chance on Buehler this offseason is the Atlanta Braves, who could use another arm for the starting rotation. Atlanta missed the playoffs this past season, and a big reason for that was a lack of consistency from the pitching staff over the course of the year.

Buehler could, at the very least, offer this team extra depth for the starting rotation, especially given all the injuries that the Braves have seen over the years. Taking a flier on a pitcher like Buehler could end up working very well for Atlanta, and if Buehler can give them even a hint of his old self, this could be a steal.

Atlanta has Chris Sale and Spencer Strider at the top of the starting rotation, giving them solid contributions as frontline pitchers. Buehler could slide in toward the backend of the rotation, and this could give the Braves one of the deepest pitching staffs in the sport.

The Braves want to be playing in October for World Series titles, and adding Buehler could help them do that. Even if this move was made more for the playoffs, it could bode well for them since he tends to step up his game when the lights are the brightest.

Buehler isn’t likely to be expensive to sign, which could make this an even easier decision for the Braves front office.