While the writing on the wall that Walker Buehler's time with the Boston Red Sox was going to end with a whimper, it was still very surprising that the club released him a couple days ago. Most just assumed that he would get moved to the bullpen and they would try to salvage at least some of his over $21 million deal this season. Instead, Boston took more drastic measures in order to get their roster in the best position possible with the season winding down.
The only question left was whether or not a contender would add Buehler before Sunday's deadline for him to be postseason eligible. Buehler certainly has a solid track record of performance in the playoffs, but he did not look good with the Red Sox this season and feels like a guy who is a shadow of his former self.
Well, don't tell former Red Sox GM and current Phillies front office head Dave Dombrowski that. Dombrowski clearly saw an opportunity when he became available and did indeed sign Buehler ahead of the playoff eligibility deadline.
Phillies sign Walker Buehler after Red Sox understandably give up on the talented righty
For the Phillies, the decision calculus is fairly straightforward. They just lost Zack Wheeler to thoracic outlet surgery and Aaron Nola is clearly declining. While their pitching staff remains a strength, it isn't as strong or as deep as they would probably like. With the trade deadline having already passed by, taking flyers on guys like Buehler is pretty much the only option left other than minor league call-ups.
The dominos are already falling in the wake of Buehler's release. The Red Sox called up Payton Tolle and he looked great in his first look at the majors. More help is likely on the way as well. As for Philly, adding Buehler could be a signal that the team isn't particularly confident that top pitching prospect Andrew Painter is ready to contribute to a playoff-bound team.
While one hopes that Buehler turns things around with the Phillies as he seems like a decent dude who has had to deal with a lot of injury issues. That said, it sure does feel like Boston did well to get out while they could and the Phillies may find out that there were a number of very good reasons for the Red Sox to cut bait when they did.