3 teams that should pay Walker Buehler a whole lot of money after his gem in Game 3

What a difference a few weeks can make. In September, Walker Buehler appeared to be at a crossroads. He finally made it back after a second Tommy John surgery, but he mostly looked like a shell of his former self in 2024, posting a 5.38 ERA in the regular season and a 7.6 K/9 over 16 starts . It was an open question whether he would ever resemble the rising star who received Cy Young Award votes in 2019 and 2021; Hell, it was an open question as to whether he would ever be a league-average starter again. With free agency looming, it seemed the best he could hope for was a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers to try to rebuild his market in 2025.

And then came the postseason. It got off to a bit of a rocky start: Buehler gave up six runs on seven hits in five innings in an NLDS loss to the San Diego Padres (though it's worth noting that a lot of that damage came from a pretty sloppy hit ball). Happiness). But things looked better, and from then on the right took off. In Game 3 of the NLCS, he was great for four innings against the red-hot New York Mets lineup, leading LA to a crucial, decisive win. And he saved his best for the biggest stage: Against a raucous Yankee Stadium crowd in Game 3 of the World Series, Buehler turned back the clock, allowing just two hits in five shutout innings.

Suddenly, 2021 was all over again: the late-life fastball, the razor blade cutter, the wipeout curveball; This was Buehler, who not long ago was one of the best young pitchers in the game, just in time to help the Dodgers win a title. It's also coming at just the right time for Buehler personally: The right-hander is just days away from hitting the open market and has become a hot commodity for teams in need of pitching. Injury risk aside, here are three who should be willing to give him a multi-year deal.

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Minnesota has established itself as one of the best pitcher development organizations in the sport, and Buehler feels like just the kind of arm to help them find a new gear. He also makes a lot of sense from a team-building perspective: The Twins need to add depth behind Pablo Lopez and Bailey Ober, especially with Joe Ryan coming back from injury, but they don't figure they'll have much money to work with with. Buehler offers upside on the front end relative to the back-end price, and if he succeeds, he could be a game-changer as Minnesota looks to dislodge the Cleveland Guardians at the top of the AL Central.

With Sean Manaea and Luis Severino in free agency, the Mets need to add not just one but multiple starters, and they've seen firsthand how good Buehler can be when tied down. New York may not be able to afford top-end options like Max Fried or Corbin Burnes – they will have more pressing uses for their money – but Buehler could represent a real bargain, the opportunity to significantly improve their pitching while also providing players like Juan Soto and/or Pete Alonso to pay.

It's time, Tiger. That magical run to the ALDS signaled the end of Detroit's rebuild, and now Scott Harris and Co. should look to spend big in hopes of putting together a real contender in 2025. It starts with the rotation: The Tigers had just that When the postseason began, there was no one behind Tarik Skubal, and while we love watching AJ Hinch put together bullpen games as much as anyone, that's for the long haul hardly durable. Fried, Burnes and Blake Snell may be out of reach, but Buehler could restore most of their production for a fraction of the cost, and he's the type of player Detroit could potentially lure with slightly higher pay.