Dodgers might've helped Tigers in free agency chase for starting pitcher

The deadline for MLB teams to extend qualifying offers to pending free agents has come and gone, and a surprising decision by the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers has left one of their postseason heroes without a contract offer for next season.

Walker Buehler returned to the mound for the Dodgers in May for the first time in nearly two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022. Despite a rocky regular season, he was a stabilizing force in the Dodgers' injury-riddled starting rotation in the 2024 postseason. His first postseason start was rough, as he allowed six runs in the second inning of Game 3 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres, but he did not allow a single run over his next two starts or in his relief appearance in the Dodgers' World Series-clinching Game 5 victory.

And yet, the Dodgers chose not to extend a qualifying offer to Buehler, thereby making him a free agent. This doesn't rule out the possibility of the Dodgers signing him to a new contract in free agency, but he will also have the opportunity to field offers from any and all interested parties — and given their need for starting pitching, the Detroit Tigers should absolutely be one of them.

Tigers Rumors: Walker Buehler could be smart target for Detroit

Much like the Dodgers, the Tigers' pitching staff caught the injury bug in 2024 and essentially operated with just one bonafide starter in Tarik Skubal. While it was enough to get them through a second-half surge that catapulted them into an unlikely playoff run, it became abundantly clear that the Tigers would need to invest in starting pitching this offseason.

The Dodgers may not know it, but it's possible that they have inadvertently kickstarted the Tigers' offseason free agency plan by allowing Buehler to hit the open market without draft pick compensation attached to him. MLB Trade Rumors listed Detroit as a likely landing spot for Buehler in free agency, predicting that he will land a one-year, $15 million contract as "the reclamation project of this year's rotation class."

Despite the momentum he is riding into free agency thanks to his postseason heroics, Buehler's regular-season performance during his walk year (5.38 ERA across 75 1/3 innings) makes him a more affordable, lower-risk option for the Tigers this offseason. If they successfully gamble on a bounce-back season for the 30-year-old right-hander, a contract extension after 2025 is not out of the question.

And if the gamble is unsuccessful? The Tigers move on from Buehler after a year. No (or at least, very little) harm done. But it's even better that the potential investment won't cost the Tigers a draft pick had the qualifying offer been attached.

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