Why Red Sox’s Walker Buehler Didn’t Want To Stay With Dodgers
Leaving the Dodgers surely wasn’t an easy decision for Walker Buehler.
Buehler broke into professional baseball in the Los Angeles organization as a 2015 first-round draft pick. The right-hander went on to experience great success over seven seasons with the Dodgers, who he helped win two World Series championships. One of those Fall Classic triumphs was last fall when the ever-confident Buehler logged the final three outs of the Dodgers’ title-clinching victory in New York.
Los Angeles, according to The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham, was interested in retaining Buehler following his brilliant playoff run. The 30-year-old, however, sought a new adventure and signed a free-agent deal with the Boston Red Sox in late December.
“It’s been exciting for me to be around a new group of guys and new coaches and see how they prepare,” Buehler told Abraham. “There wasn’t anything about LA that I disliked. But given the way I struggled last season, then have a cherry on the top, it seemed like as good a time as any to take the next step.”
By saying goodbye to the Dodgers, Buehler nixed his arguably best chance to win another World Series in 2025. Los Angeles is that talented, but Buehler also has a great chance to win in Boston this year. He’s poised to play a major role in a revamped starting rotation, and the Red Sox’s overall talent on the roster is much improved from seasons ago.
And who knows? If Boston lives up to expectations, maybe Buehler will battle his former team with everything on the line this October.
Craig Counsell Reveals Cubs Pitching Decision for Opening Series
The start of the 2025 MLB season was challenging for the Chicago Cubs, who lost both games in the 2025 Tokyo Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Chicago will look to rebound during a four-game road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which begins March 27.
Manager Craig Counsell has already named Justin Steele the starter for the opener, while Jameson Taillon will follow in game two. On Saturday, Counsell provided the latest updates, most centered on the regular season. One of the highlights was Counsell announcing that Shota Imanaga would be the third starter for the Diamondbacks series. View the original article to see embedded media. Imanaga made his regular-season debut in the Cubs’ opener against the Dodgers on March 18. Over four innings, he allowed only two walks while keeping the Dodgers hitless and scoreless.
He also recorded two strikeouts, though Chicago lost that game. Game 2 was another defeat following Steele’s rough outing. He gave up five runs and five hits, walked one, and struck out five. Steele ended the game with an ERA of 11.25 and will seek redemption in his next start. Imanaga has previous success against the Diamondbacks, having faced them in a pre-Major League game. In that matchup, he threw seven dominant innings, allowing just two hits, one home run, and one walk while striking out 10 in the Cubs’ 2-1 victory over Arizona on July 21.
Counsell has yet to announce who will take the mound as the fourth and final starter for the series finale.
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