Philadelphia Phillies Predicted To Cut Ties With Veteran After Jesus Luzardo Trade

The Philadelphia Phillies moving on from the right-hander makes sense, but is it possible?

Aug 23, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The addition of Jesus Luzardo is a step in the right direction for the Philadelphia Phillies.

If he manages to stay healthy, one could argue the Phillies' rotation will be the best in Major League Baseball.

His health is a significant worry.

Luzardo has dealt with a few injuries throughout his career and will need to prove he can stay on the mound.

Philadelphia now has some decisions to make, however.

Many have questioned what they plan to do with Taijuan Walker, even before this trade.

Walker was brutal last season, finishing the year as one of the worst starters in baseball. The hope was for him to come to the Phillies and be the arm he's been throughout his career, but he's been the complete opposite of that.

After his showing, moving on from him would be the logical thing to do.

Mark Powell of FanSided predicted that to be the case.

"[Dave] Dombrowski has remained as loyal as he can to Taijuan Walker, who has caused nothing but trouble the last season-plus for the Phillies. Walker is on a player-friendly contract (and I am putting it lightly) that will pay him $18 million over the next two seasons. While that wouldn't be too lucrative on the current free-agent market, take into account that Walker had an ERA of 7.10 last season, and you'll understand why Phillies fans want to ditch this guy."

Powell's assessment of the situation makes perfect sense.

The issue, however, is that Walker is owed $36 million over the next two years.

Why would any team want to take on that money?

If Philadelphia were to move on from Walker, there are multiple ways to do it. The front office could designate him for assignment, a move that would simply see them eat the money he's owed, or the Phillies could also trade him and eat most, if not nearly all, of his salary.

There's a scenario where Philadelphia could trade him to a team in a multi-player trade and take on more salary, but if a team is trading for Walker, they likely aren't a ball club that's expected to compete in 2025.

In that event, why would they take on his money?

There are challenges in this.

The idea is right, but until the Phillies find a team that wants to pay even a few million dollars of his deal, it's tough to see how this realistically plays out.

Maybe the ownership group is content with designating him for assignment, but that's a lot of money to eat.