5 best Mets starting pitcher free agent targets who won't cost $100 million

4) Walker Buehler

Walker Buehler was an ace for the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation for almost four seasons until an injury in 2022 led him to require the second Tommy John surgery of his career and a repair to his flexor tendon. After his return in 2024, Buehler was not even a shadow of what he showed us in the first years of his young MLB career.

Over 16 starts Buehler finished 2024 with a 5.34 ERA with a 1.55 WHIP in 75.1 innings pitched. During that period, the Dodgers right-hander had the worst K/9 ratio of his career, one of the worst BB/9, and his worst HR/9 since his debut.

However, in the postseason, Buehler showed a better level on the mound with an increase in swing and miss in his pitches and decreasing his BABIP considerably, finishing with a 3.60 ERA in 15 innings pitched. Likewise, advanced metrics show good velocity of his pitches, maintaining a fastball at 95 mph and a whiff% level of his pitches similar to those of previous seasons.

Buehler needs an adjustment to his pitching repertoire. Buehler's fastball is his most used pitch almost 30% of the time but it has a very high batting average and expected slugging, unlike pitches like his cutter which hit him for an xBA of .218 and an xSLG of just .330. This indicates that with an adjustment in the use of his arsenal, Buehler could be a bargain in this market, especially because he will carry a contract similar to that of Luis Severino last season of one year and about 14 to 15 million to return to increase its value, which would make sense in this team philosophy.