Walker Buehler will forever be beloved by the Los Angeles Dodgers fanbase thanks to the way he stepped up for the team during their World Series run back in October. As one would recall, Buehler was the one who closed out Game 5 of their World Series victory over the New York Yankees

— an epic redemption story for someone who was plagued by so many injuries during his stint with the team. However, a new chapter now awaits Buehler after he decided to sign with the Boston Red Sox in this year’s free agency.

Considering how beloved Buehler is by the Dodgers fanbase, it should not come as a surprise if a few hundred or even thousand people received a Buehler number 21 jersey for Christmas. Nonetheless, the 30-year-old starting pitcher, who is as fond of the Dodgers franchise as ever, still appreciates all the love.

“The #21 Dodgers unis you guys got today are still cool! Im gonna wear a different one next year but I appreciate y’all rockin em nonetheless!” Buehler wrote on his official account on X (formerly Twitter).

Ever since cracking the big league roster in 2017, Buehler has been one of the Dodgers’ most important players. At one point, he was even one of the best starters in the league, recording a total WAR (per Fangraphs) of 14.4 from 2018 to 2021 — peaking with 5.6 WAR and 5.1 WAR in 2021 and 2019, respectively.

However, the past three years have been quite the journey for Buehler in Dodgers colors. In 2022, he needed to undergo Tommy John surgery, and since then, it was a struggle for him to get back to form. So for him to leave the team covered in glory is quite the redemption arc for Buehler.

Red Sox make low-risk addition of Walker Buehler

All offseason long, the Red Sox have made it no secret that they intend to add to their roster after another mediocre season. And they have been starting by overhauling their pitching rotation, pulling off a blockbuster trade for Garrett Crochet and following that move up by signing Walker Buehler to a one-year, $21.05 million contract.

Buehler, of course, is coming off a subpar 2024 season in which his contributions were worth a terrible -0.2 WAR across the 75.1 innings he pitched. But his playoff performance for the Dodgers provides some hope that he can perform much better the further he’s removed from Tommy John surgery. And the Red Sox didn’t exactly make a huge financial commitment, as he’s only under contract for one season.