How would this offseason differ if the Cardinals planned to compete in 2025?

Sign: RHP Walker Buehler (30, LAD)

As stated before, even a rotation including Kyle Gibson has some holes that would need to be filled for a team looking to make a playoff push in 2025. Former top-30 and Dodgers' overall #1 prospect Walker Buehler could be a low-cost, high-upside piece that could fill that need.

After being drafted 24th overall out of Vanderbilt in 2015, the hard-throwing righty demonstrated his ace potential, working his way through all three levels of the minors with 125 strikeouts in only 88.2 innings before finding himself as a late-season call-up to the major league club. His first taste of the majors did not provide inspiring results, as his small eight-game sample size resulted in a 7.71 ERA and 8 walks in only 9.1 innings.

Going into the 2018 season, the Dodgers planned on giving Buehler more time to develop as a starter but was called upon early in the campaign. Buehler's first 7 starts saw results much more in line with his college and early minors career. Over 40 innings, he went 3-1 with a near 2.00 ERA and a 48:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Multiple injuries then halted Buehler's progress with three IL stints from June through July, which limited him to only 28 innings over those two months. He appeared to be back to full strength in August and September, with a sub-2 ERA and 77 strikeouts in almost 60 innings, paving the way for his true breakout in the 2019 season. Overall, his 2018 season netted him 3rd place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting.

In 2019, Buehler finally stayed healthy for a full season and his results gave the Dodgers hope of another ace in waiting. For the year, Buehler went 14-4 in a career-high 182.1 innings and 215 strikeouts to go along with a phenomenal 5% walk rate. However, the truncated 2020 season did not give Buehler the chance to prove health and durability but his eight starts covered 36.2 quality innings.

2021 was Beuhler's true breakout as he built on his past two seasons on the way to a fourth-place finish in Cy Young voting. The then-26-year-old threw 207.2 outstanding innings, managing a 16-4 record with a 2.47 ERA and 212 strikeouts to go along with his strong command. Buehler's 171 ERA+ led the majors and he showed the elite ability to limit baserunners with a .97 WHIP and an above-average 6.4% walk rate.

The high workload may have finally taken its toll on the righty in the 2022 season. Buehler started the year in the Dodger's rotation and his first two months saw his continued strong results, going 6-1 with a low-3 ERA. However, his usual strikeout stuff waned as his K rate fell to a below-average 21.2% and he was giving up more hard contact than usual with his hard-hit rate reaching over 41%. Buehler's season hit pause in June as elbow pain showed a forearm strain and he was placed on the 60-day injured list. After attempting rest and rehab, Buehler eventually succumbed to Tommy John surgery in August of that year, causing him to miss the entire 2023 season.

After rehabbing for the 2023 season, Buehler finally made his return in May, going four innings in his first start. His May was okay by his standards while mostly trying to prove his health. Buehler made five starts covering 25 innings, but he gave up six homers and 26 hits, showing he may not be back to his pre-surgery sharpness. The injury bug came back in June as right hip inflammation caused him to be out of action until mid-August. His final return to action came as the Dodgers made their playoff push and he was limited to short appearances, tallying just over 60 innings in 13 starts. The limited length starts seemed to do well for his command, but the results were around league average.

Buehler did make the Dodgers' postseason roster and stayed in his short-appearance role. In his three starts, Buehler went 1-1 and made it into the fifth inning twice before being called on in the final game of the 2024 World Series as he threw a clean ninth inning to bring the Dodgers their first full-season title since 1988.

Buehler has an interesting free agent profile as a 30-year-old former top prospect who showed glimpses of greatness but an extended injury history. It is commonplace for pitchers to struggle their first year back after Tommy John surgery so it's not unfair to expect a bounce-back year in 2025 and could work himself into either a shorter-term prove-it deal or try to find some long-term certainty with a deal into his mid-30s.