The Boston Red Sox have added Walker Buehler, the right-handed pitcher and World Series champion, to their roster for the 2025 season. He signed a one-year contract worth $21.05 million, as reported Monday by the official MLB.com website.

The deal with Buehler, who won the World Series last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, also includes performance bonuses that could increase the total value of the contract. With this addition, the Red Sox continue to focus on strengthening their pitching staff during the Major League Baseball offseason.

Key reinforcement for the Red Sox pitching staff

With Buehler on board, the team adds a strong arm to their rotation, alongside Cuban closer Aroldis Chapman and starting pitchers Garrett Crochet and Mexican Patrick Sandoval. This move gives Puerto Rican manager Alex Cora more options to build a solid starting rotation for the 2025 season.

The Red Sox’ rotation could include Buehler, Crochet, Dominican Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito, Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, and Sandoval, who is still recovering from left elbow surgery.

Buehler’s comeback after a tough recovery

Buehler played seven seasons with the Dodgers, where, despite battling various injuries and undergoing Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow, he showed great quality on the mound. In 131 games, 122 of them as a starter, he posted a 3.27 ERA, with a record of 47 wins and 22 losses, and 754 strikeouts in 713.2 innings.

Although his first year after elbow surgery was rough, with a 1-6 record and a 5.38 ERA, Buehler bounced back in the postseason, posting a 1-1 record, a save, and a 3.60 ERA in four appearances, three of them as a starter.

Success in the postseason

Throughout his career, Buehler has been a key factor in the postseason, with a 4-4 record and a 3.04 ERA in 19 games. He was instrumental in the Dodgers winning World Series titles in 2020 and 2024, with a 2-0 record and a 0.47 ERA in the finals.

Despite playing at Fenway Park in Boston, a hitter-friendly stadium, the Red Sox are confident that Buehler will be able to leverage his impressive 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings to continue proving his quality on the mound.