Brewers’ connection to Dodgers star free agent is intriguing, but ignores reality

One of the hottest names in MLB free agency is Walker Buehler, mostly because he starred in the playoffs for the Dodgers, even throwing the final pitch of the World Series on Wednesday evening. He's not going to earn the largest contract this winter (he may not even get a multi-year pact), but the performances he strung together on the game's biggest stage were surely noteworthy.

In a recent piece from Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller, Buehler was tied to the Milwaukee Brewers, who Miller believes is the eighth-best bet to sign the right-hander this offseason. Do with that information what you will, but the fit between the two sides is certainly an intriguing one.

However, it's important to note that this is an imperfect fit. Buehler will have a handful of suitors this winter and certainly helped his cause in the Fall Classic, but he comes with his fair share of warts. When he's on his game and healthy, Buehler's a stud. However, that's been the exact problem in recent years.

Walker Buehler's fit on the Brewers would be an imperfect one

Heading into what could be a very busy offseason for the Crew, there's room for one or even two starting pitchers in next year's rotation. With Willy Adames and his contract coming off the books, the Brewers should have some money to play with. Fortunately, Buehler will come a bit cheaper than he otherwise would since he's not far removed from a long Tommy John-induced absence.

After missing the entirety of the 2023 campaign, Buehler returned to the Dodgers' rotation this season, but didn't look great in 16 regular-season outings. The two-time All-Star finished with a 1-6 record to go along with a 5.38 ERA, 5.54 FIP and 72 ERA+. To his credit, he turned on the jets in the playoffs and looked much more like the Buehler of old, which is what makes him a decent fit on the Brewers to begin with.

But the fact of the matter is that while landing Buehler would be nice, there's just a whole lot of risk here that is probably not going to be worth it. The right-hander has made 30 or more starts just two times since making his MLB debut back in 2017. Otherwise, he's missed time in just about every single year of his big-league career.

A player like that is a huge risk for any team, but even more so for a club like the Brewers, who would be tying up a sold portion of their offseason spending money on Buehler. If he came aboard and reverted to his old, oft-injured ways, that'd be a major wart on the Brewers' payroll especially given that Milwaukee's TV revenues are expected to take a hit starting in 2025.

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