Potential Philadelphia Phillies Target Lands $45 Million in Free Agency Prediction

The Philadelphia Phillies could replace Taijuan Walker for a great price.

Sep 17, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Globe Life Field / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have multiple things to consider this winter.

One of them is what they want to do with Taijuan Walker moving forward.

Even though Walker likely won't be as bad as he was last season, it's tough to ignore how poorly he threw the baseball. He was expected to be a decent arm for this team in the middle of their rotation, but instead, he was one of the worst pitchers in the game.

While moving on from him is the logical thing to do, the chances of anyone helping the Phillies out and taking on his contract remains slim.

Replacing him if they can should be the goal, and adding a cheaper arm who could come in and get outs for them when needed is a must.

That's why someone like Nathan Eovaldi has been viewed as a potential candidate.

Eovaldi, at his best, has shown off stuff that's been elite. He isn't a workhorse or going to rival numbers with top-five arms in baseball anymore, but on a staff where he'd be the third option, it's tough not to get excited about the thought of him playing in Philadelphia.

In a recent contract prediction from Tim Britton of The Athletic, the team also wouldn't need to make a huge commitment to him, either.

Britton has him signing a two-year, $45 million deal this winter.

"Injuries have plagued Eovaldi throughout his career, but when healthy, he has been a steady starting pitcher. He’s been noticeably better in his 30s than he was in his 20s. Over the past three seasons, Eovaldi averaged 25 starts with a 3.76 ERA. He doesn’t strike out a ton of batters, but he doesn’t walk a ton either (since 2022, Eovaldi ranks 21st in strikeout-to-walk ratio, in between Cy Young winners Corbin Burnes and Sandy Alcantara). He’s coming off another solid year with a 1.107 WHIP and 3.80 ERA across 29 starts, the third-most in his career. Contenders in need of a veteran presence — but not necessarily 180-plus innings — could see Eovaldi as a mid-rotation presence whose big-game experience looms large come October."

For $45 million, that's the exact type of money this club should be looking to spend to replace Walker.

There will be cheaper options, but for a guy who's recently proven that he can pitch in October, there won't be much better on the market.