The The Red Sox trust Walker Buehler to be a force in their rotation in 2025. Before then, he could help them as a lead recruiter.
Buehler, who recently signed a one-year, $21.05 million contract with Bostonenjoys a good relationship with free agent outfielder Alex Bregman and co-owns a horse with him. The pair of former All-Stars have teamed up to have “March of Time,” a three-year-old colt who won a race at Santa Anita in California late last week. In recent weeks, conversations between Buehler and Bregman have included more than just horse talk.
“I’ve certainly pitched all over the place for him to come to Boston,” Buehler said. “He and I have been friends for a long time. We played a little bit on Team USA together in college.”
Buehler and Bregman have never played together in the majors, but they are just three months apart and played against each other in the SEC during their illustrious college careers. Bregman starred at LSU before being taken second overall by the Astros in 2015; Buehler was selected 24th overall by the Dodgers out of Vanderbilt.
“Being from Lexington, Kentucky, the subject of horses is something I’ve always been very interested in,” Buehler explained. “Alex got into it a few years ago. I know he’s got some family ties there. I got involved in that horse and there was a bit more of the horse that could have been bought. So he was the only one that I called and he chose to participate. The horse won at Santa Anita in his first time with us. We are quite angry about it.”
Bregman has been linked frequently this winter to the Red Sox, who need a big right-handed bat and could fit him at second base. Coach Alex Cora has been pushing for Boston to sign Bregman, the two became close when Cora coached in Houston in 2017, but as MassLive reported earlier this month, tThe organization is divided on the merits of serious research.
Bregman has also been linked to the Tigers, and to a lesser extent, the Yankees and Blue Jays, on the open market. Along with pitcher Roki Sasaki, he is one of the best unsigned free agents available.
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