The Dodgers extended a qualifying offer to outfielder Teoscar Hernández on Monday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation but not authorized to speak publicly.
The real news, however, was their decision not to extend the $21 million offer for next year to Walker Buehler, officially making the pitcher a free agent.
Had the Dodgers extended an offer to Buehler, he would have had two weeks to decide whether to accept it and return to L.A. for one more year under the $21 million salary, or decline it and become a free agent. If Buehler had declined the offer and then signed elsewhere, the Dodgers would have received draft compensation.
However, the Dodgers didn’t give Buehler that chance on Monday, allowing the World Series hero to test the open market.
The Dodgers can still re-sign Buehler as a free agent. Before the World Series, Buehler expressed his desire in a return to Los Angeles as well.
“I’m very happy to be a Los Angeles Dodger, and I would love to stay here for as long as they’ll have me,” he said.
But now, it’s possible Buehler’s title-clinching save in Game 5 last Wednesday might have also been his final outing with the team.
Buehler’s regular-season performance wasn’t likely to warrant a qualifying offer. In his return from a second career Tommy John surgery, Buehler went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA.
But in the postseason, the 30-year-old played a key role in the Dodgers’ run to a World Series, posting scoreless starts in the NL Championship Series and World Series before closing out Game 5 on one day’s rest.
But while the Dodgers repeatedly praised Buehler’s ability to perform during the playoffs, and could still use starting pitching reinforcements going into next season, they weren’t willing to extend him the $21 million offer — leaving the door open for him to sign somewhere else next season.
The Dodgers’ decision to extend Hernández, on the other hand, was expected. He is almost certain to decline it with a more robust free-agent market awaiting. Like Buehler, Hernández has also expressed interest in staying with the team.