As the Boston Red Sox prepare to face the New York Yankees on Sunday night, they’re fully aware that their window for turning the season around is rapidly closing.
Beating the Yankees in this series would be significant, but the Red Sox need more than that — they have to start piling up wins, ideally including some sweeps, if they want to re-enter the playoff picture before the trade deadline. Otherwise, with a 31-35 record, Boston may have to face the reality of offloading veteran players.
One such veteran is Walker Buehler, who has struggled lately. On Friday, he gave up seven runs (five earned) over just two innings, continuing a rough stretch where he’s dropped three straight starts and surrendered five home runs. Given he’s on a one-year, \$21 million deal, Buehler could be among the first players moved if the Red Sox decide to become sellers by the July 31 deadline.
In a Sunday preview of the trade market for starting pitchers, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller identified Buehler as a strong trade candidate, largely due to his impressive postseason track record.
“It’s unclear where Boston will stand come the trade deadline, but Buehler hasn’t lived up to expectations, posting a disappointing 5.18 ERA and missing nearly a month due to injury,” Miller noted. “However, if the Red Sox make him available, contenders will recall his 10 scoreless innings from last year’s NLCS and World Series.”
Buehler, a two-time All-Star with the Dodgers, has a 3.04 career ERA in the playoffs over 94 2/3 innings. In the World Series alone, he’s given up just one run in 19 innings (a 0.47 ERA) while striking out 24.
Although Buehler hasn’t resembled the dominant force he was last October, there’s no doubt some teams will believe they can help him recapture that form. For now, though, Boston still clings to slim hopes that he could help power their own postseason push.
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