Potential high upside Cubs free agent target has boosted his stock in the postseason

Given the number of injuries the Los Angeles Dodgers sustained this season, it's nothing short of a miracle they find themselves one win from a World Series championship.

You could make quite the starting rotation out of arms currently on the IL: Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May, Gavin Stone, Clayton Kershaw, River Ryan and Tony Gonsolin. The situation is so precipitous that manager Dave Roberts plans a bullpen game in Tuesday night's potential clincher at Yankee Stadium.

In Game 3, right-hander Walker Buehler, in what may be his final start with Los Angeles, delivered exactly what Roberts and the Dodgers needed to pull off that bullpen game, tossing five scoreless innings and punching out five before his night ended. It was the cherry on top of a strong postseason that, if not for a lone inning that went sideways against San Diego in the NLDS, would have been nearly flawless.

His body of work this October should buoy his resume heading into the offseason. It's been three years since Buehler finished third in NL Cy Young voting. Since the start of 2022, he's been largely ineffective. After missing the entire 2023 season, he managed a 5.38 ERA in just 16 starts this year, putting him on shaky ground with free agency approaching.

It's that shaky footing that makes him a logical free-agent target for the Chicago Cubs, a team that will likely look to avoid any long-term contracts that eat up large chunks of the payroll. Signing Buehler, someone who could settle for a one-year prove-it deal, however, is something that's right up Jed Hoyer's alley.

If he bounced back to his All-Star caliber form in 2025, the Cubs would have one of the best big three in the league with Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga alongside Buehler. Rounding out a rotation with Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad (or better yet, a second free agent like Nathan Eovaldi) would put Chicago in a strong starting place next spring.

Buehler's arsenal looked sharper than it has in some time in recent weeks. Expect the Cubs to be circling when he hits the open market, looking buy low and capitalize on an opportunity.