Philadelphia Phillies Must Figure Out Plan for Taijuan Walker Moving Forward

What will the Philadelphia Phillies do with Taijuan Walker?

Sep 24, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) looks on after pitching against the Chicago Cubs in the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are heading into the offseason looking to find a way to improve after a great regular season, but disappointing postseason. 

It was a strange campaign to evaluate for the Phillies, as they were one of the best teams in the regular season, but saw their season come to an end much earlier than expected. Philadelphia not making the National League Championship Series was certainly a surprise to the organization, as this team had everything it took to make a run. 

Now, this offseason, the Phillies are going to have to revamp a little bit to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025. 

Recently, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report spoke about a few things that are on the to-do list for Philadelphia this offseason.

“Save for the back end of the bullpen, the Phillies aren't presently expected to look much different in 2025, already saddled with one of the highest payrolls as virtually everyone from the 95-win roster returns. A considerable chunk of that big payroll is the $18 million due to Taijuan Walker in each of 2025 and 2026. But he was a disaster for the Phillies in 2024, sputtering to a 7.10 ERA in between stints on the IL. Both his walk rate and strikeout rate were the worst of any season in which he made at least 10 appearances, and he allowed home runs at one of the highest rates in recent history—24 in 83.2 IP.”

Firstly, the Phillies will have to address some holes in a bullpen that really let them down in the playoffs. Both Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez are free agents, but Philadelphia might be looking to make an upgrade over them. 

One thing that is really hanging over their heads is the contract with Taijuan Walker. The fifth starter for the Phillies had an awful season in 2024, and they would likely want to move on from him. However, it's hard to imagine anyone would want to take that contract based off of how he pitched last year. 

This puts Philadelphia in a tough spot, as they likely don’t want to have him in the rotation, but they also don’t really have a way to get rid of him. With options being limited, there is certainly a possibility that Walker could be in the rotation to start the season. However, a good backup plan must be in place. Whether that be calling up Andrew Painter or adding another veteran, the Phillies can’t trust their veteran right-hander.