If the Phils were going to cut bait on Walker, they would have done so by now. The $18 million a year he is owed over the next two years serves as motivation for Dave Dombrowski to play this thing out as long as he can.
Will that be making the Opening Day roster in the bullpen as a long man? Do the Phils go with a six-man rotation? Does he accept an assignment to AAA Lehigh Valley? Does he get released? Will he be traded?
So many options in this Choose Your Own Adventure... YOU DECIDE!
Taijuan Walker’s velocity is up this spring.
This is very good news. Last season, his sinker averaged 91.5 mph, the fourth straight year decline from 2021, when it averaged 94.5 mph with the Mets. The lack of velocity made his sinker utterly destroyable, which opposing batters did on the regular in 2024.
After a rigorous off-season working on regaining some of that lost velocity, it has appeared that much of it is back this spring. In his first Grapefruit League outing on Sunday, Walker’s sinker and fastball averaged 93-94 mph. Last spring, it was around 89 mph in his first spring start.
While he did give up a home run in the first inning (a spring wind-swept homer that likely would have been a warning track out in the regular season), he was effective, and the team insists they are taking a long look at him as he attempts to regain some semblance of the starter the team signed to a four-year, $72 million deal ahead of the 2023 season.
As we play this out, the question becomes, how is this all going to work out? What is his role here on the 2025 Phillies?
We discussed the Taijuan Walker situation a bit on the latest Hittin’ Season podcast, out on MONDAY.
Has Phillies' pitcher Taijuan Walker rediscovered his velocity?
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