Walker Buehler Rumors: 'Dodgers Did Not Want to Force' 1-Year Contract on SP

The reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers continued their spending spree by signing starting pitcher Blake Snell to a massive deal last week, but many wondered why they didn't extend a qualifying offer to free-agent starter Walker Buehler.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Buehler "likely would have said yes to the one-year, $21.05 million" qualifying offer from the Dodgers, which would've been cheaper than the five-year, $182 million contract that Snell signed. However, Los Angeles reportedly "did not want to force the issue with Buehler" for various reasons.

The 30-year-old struggled through 16 regular-season starts with a 1-6 record and a 5.38 ERA. He bounced back in a big way during the postseason with 10 scoreless innings pitched over his final three appearances, including closing out the ninth inning in Game 5 of the World Series against the New York Yankees on just one day of rest to help the Dodgers clinch the title.

Rosenthal noted that the "qualifying offer would have damaged Buehler in the market, leaving him with almost no choice but to accept." The draft compensation for Los Angeles also would've been just a fourth-round pick if he rejected it, so the team decided to let him test the open market.

"This way, Buehler can negotiate a multiyear deal with the team of his choosing. Conceivably, that team could be the Dodgers," Rosenthal noted. "But other teams might value Buehler more."