The Phillies were not done after signing Shortstop Trea Turner. They addressed the lineup, and now they have addressed the starting rotation. The Phillies and Former Mets pitcher Taijuan Walker agreed to a 4-year deal worth $72 Million. Which is an Average Annual Value of $18 million.
Taijuan Walker's deal with the Philadelphia Phillies is for four years and $72 million, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 7, 2022
The 29-year-old rightie will be going into his 11th season in the Majors. He spent the last two seasons with the Mets. But before that, he spent time in Arizona and had two separate stints in Seattle, including his first 4 years in the MLB. His career ERA is 3.89. But he is coming off one of the best years of his career. Last season he went 12-5 with a 3.49 Era across 29 starts.
Taijuan Walker has had an issue staying healthy throughout his career. He has only topped 150 innings 4 times in his career and has never pitched more than 170. But he does have two straight seasons with at least 29 starts. He has only pitched in the postseason once, and it did not go particularly well for him. Walker started one game for the Diamondbacks in the 2017 NLDS, and made it just 1 inning while giving up 4 runs.
He joins a rotation already featuring Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez. The 5th starter is to be decided, but there is a strong belief it could be young pitching prospect Andrew Painter. But now the Phillies at least have their 4th Starter squared away, and will for the next 4 seasons.