Philadelphia Phillies Can’t Make ‘Mistake’ of Putting Veteran on Postseason Roster

The Philadelphia Phillies have yet to make a final decision on the right-hander heading into the playoffs.

Sep 19, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) pitches in the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are sitting back and waiting for their postseason matchup. When the time comes, expect the Phillies to be ready to go.

After a long 162-game season filled with mostly high-level play, they'll be tested in the postseason. Despite winning the National League East and being arguably the best team in Major League Baseball throughout the year, everything is set on the postseason.

If Philadelphia doesn't succeed in October, the campaign will ultimately be viewed as a disappointment.

Things are never easy in the playoffs, so they shouldn't expect that to be any different this time around. If there's one team in baseball that understands that, it should be the Phillies after what they've gone through during the past two campaigns.

Anyone could beat anyone, that's just the way baseball is played.

However, there are ways to put themselves in a better position to win. Of those include who they put on the postseason roster.

The roster seems set for the playoffs, but what the coaching staff will do with Taijuan Walker remains to be seen. Walker, a veteran, has been one of the worst pitchers in the league throughout the season.

There's a chance Philadelphia will put him on the roster due to being a veteran and hoping he'll figure it out in October, but that'd be a brutal decision.

Chris Landers of FanSided agrees, writing that the Phillies can't afford to have him active in the NLDS.

"Eleven of the 12 pitching spots Thomson wants to fill on the NLDS roster are locked up. The final one, though, could bring some consternation for Phillies fans: The team will want a bullpen option who can go multiple innings if need be, and while Walker has been a disaster of late, he does bring plenty of experience. Still, Philly would be wise to look elsewhere, either to the returning Spencer Turnbull or even 25-year-old rookie Max Lazar. Either choice would bring a lot more upside in the event that something goes haywire and the Phillies need someone to keep them competitive through the middle innings."

As Landers hinted, Walker could give Philadelphia a few innings out of the bullpen. However, as they saw last October, not having a steady bullpen could determine if they win a World Series.

Even if Walker comes in during non-pressure situations, who's to say he wouldn't allow multiple runs and turn the game around?

These are all things the coaching staff will have to consider moving forward.