Red Sox $21 Million Veteran Could Be 'Best Value Signing' Of 2025, Says MLB Insider

The Major League Baseball season has nearly arrived, and there's a level buzz and excitement surrounding the Boston Red Sox that hasn't been present for several years.

Before the winter began, the Red Sox talked a big game about making roster improvements and competing for the playoffs in 2025. The season still has to unfold, but on paper, they did enough to put themselves back in the postseason conversation.

Boston traded for Garrett Crochet, who projects to be the new ace of their pitching staff. They also signed Alex Bregman, a two-time World Series champion third baseman, to the highest annual salary of any player in franchise history.

But one insider--Jim Bowden of The Athletic--seems to be most intrigued by the one-year, $21.05 million deal the Red Sox gave veteran starting pitcher Walker Buehler. In his 2025 preseason preview, Bowden lauded the Buehler signing as an X-factor for Boston's season.

"Under-the-radar move: Signing Walker Buehler, who, in last year’s World Series pitched like he did in 2021, when he finished fourth in the NL Cy Young voting after going 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA over 33 starts," Bowden wrote. "If he can stay healthy, Buehler could end up being the best value free-agent signing of the offseason."

Buehler, 30, was only able to secure a one-year contract after pitching to a 5.38 ERA during the 2024 regular season in 14 starts, after bouncing back from the Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2023. But he closed out the playoffs on a 13-inning scoreless streak, lowering his career playoff ERA to 3.04.

In his spring debut, Buehler allowed only two baserunners in two innings while striking out four batters, using a dominant combination of his sinker, cutter, and sweeper.

Bowden picked the Red Sox to finish second in the American League East behind the New York Yankees, but chose them as one of the AL's three Wild Card teams. Bowden also picked the Baltimore Orioles to earn a playoff spot, so Boston would be at least the second Wild Card team by default.

If Boston does make the playoffs, or perhaps even usurps the Yankees at the top of the division, Buehler could very well be a key reason behind their success.