SF Giants miss great opportunity to troll Dodgers by not signing released pitcher

The Boston Red Sox just released former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler. He was scooped up by the Philadelphia Phillies but the SF Giants missed a great opportunity to troll the Dodgers by not signing him.

Buehler had a rough go of it in Boston this season. In 23 appearances and 112 and 1/3 innings pitched he had a 5.45 ERA which is why it is not a huge shock that the Red Sox moved on from him. Philadelphia is hoping a change of scenery will lead to better results, but maybe the Giants should have made a play for him.

SF Giants should have made a play for Walker Buehler to troll Dodgers

The 31-year-old had some great seasons in Los Angeles including in 2021 when he had a 16-4 record in 33 starts with a 2.47 ERA in 207 and 2/3 innings pitched. Injuries derailed him a bit after that, but last season he did record the final out of the World Series for the Dodgers to clinch victory over the New York Yankees.

The Dodgers signed both Brian Wilson and Sergio Romo after they were Giants and both pitchers were on the mound when the Giants clinched the 2010 and 2012 World Series respectively. It is only fair that the Giants poach a former Dodger who fans in Los Angeles will always have a positive memory of for recording the last out of a World Series victory.

The two teams make a habit of this all the time. San Francisco signed long-time Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes earlier this season and the Dodgers signed reliever Lou Trivino after San Francisco let him go.

Beyond annoying the Dodgers, it may have made sense to bring Buehler in for something of an audition during the final month of the season. The Giants have had to scramble with their rotation ever since Landen Roupp went down with an injury so adding Buehler would have taken some pressure off a bullpen that has been taxed as of late.

Maybe if the Giants had brought Buehler in and he impressed they could have brought him back in the offseason to provide a little more certainty to a rotation that is going to have some question marks heading into 2026. Outside of Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Landen Roupp, the Giants do not have a clear picture of what the rest of the rotation will look like.

Alas, going to a contender like the Phillies probably makes more sense for someone like Buehler. Still, it would have been nice to see Dodgers fans melt down a little but by seeing Buehler in the orange and black even if it was just for a few months.

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