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Walker Buehler is well-known to San Diego Padres fans. The former two-time World Series champion and two-time All-Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers was a member of the hated rivals from 2017 when he made his debut with the club until 2025 when he left the Dodgers as a free agent and signed with the Boston Red Sox.
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Buehler did not make it through the 2025 season with the Red Sox and was released on Aug. 29 after appearing in 23 games with 22 starts in Boston. He worked to a 7-7 record with a 5.45 ERA, which was the highest of his career, before his release. Buehler was not a free agent long and agreed to a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 31. He performed well with the Phillies and played in three games and made two starts, finishing with a 0.66 ERA over 13.2 innings.
The deal Buehler signed with Boston was only for one year, so even without the release he would have been looking for another job. The short-term deal made him expendable and allowed Boston to release him and Philadelphia to pick him up for its playoff run, which ended in the National League Division Series against the Dodgers. Once the season was over, Buehler returned to the free agent market and started searching again for a team to call home. He found that team in San Diego and agreed to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, where he has yet to make an appearance in a game.
It is odd and can be jarring for Padres fans to see the long-time Dodger in brown and gold, but it may be something we all have to get used to. Buehler has said his intention is to compete for a starting job and with his major league track record and his opportunity to work with San Diego pitching coach Ruben Niebla, he might win it.
Buehler established himself as one of the best pitchers in MLB during his time in Los Angeles. He also became highly disliked by the Friar Faithful thanks in part to his 7-1 career record in 13 games against San Diego with 83 strikeouts and a 1.67 ERA. He pitched aggressively against the Padres and seemed to fully embrace the rivalry that exists between the teams.
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While his career numbers against the Padres in the regular season were outstanding, Buehler struggled in postseason outings against San Diego. In 2020, he pitched one postseason game and lasted four innings, allowing one earned run on two hits. In 2024, Buehler made it through five innings but was touched up for six earned runs on seven hits which included a memorable two-run blast from Fernando Tatis Jr.
Buehler’s combined postseason numbers against the Padres are 0-1 with a 7.00 ERA over nine innings with seven runs allowed, five walks, an intentional walk and a wild pitch. Bueler did have eight postseason strikeouts against San Diego, but all eight came in 2020.
With all the history between Buehler and the Padres, would you, the Friar Faithful, root for him to win one of the last rotation spots on the 2026 roster? That is the Padres Reacts Survey poll question from Gaslamp Ball to the readers. Results will be revealed later in the week.
