The Philadelphia Phillies signed another New York Mets free agent pitcher and he has a lot in common with Zack Wheeler.
The newest Philadelphia Phillies free-agent addition to the rotation has a few things in common with their ace. Zack Wheeler has been an absolute stud for the team over the last three seasons, posting a 30-19 record and 2.82 ERA. The Phillies will be hoping to get the same from Taijuan Walker.
Signed to a four-year deal worth $72 million, it may seem like a bit of an overpay for a guy with Walker’s history. He joins Philadelphia with a 54-50 record and 3.89 ERA in his career.
The common qualities with Wheeler, however, may have the Phillies a bit more bullish. Wheeler was 44-38 with a 3.77 ERA during his five seasons with the New York Mets, the same team Walker is leaving for Philadelphia. The common traits don’t stop there.
Phillies will hope to get some Zack Wheeler magic after signing Mets free agent Taijuan Walker
Wheeler’s first season with the Phillies was his age-30 campaign back in 2020. Walker, who turned 30 in August, will be doing the same. It’s rare for us to see a pitcher come up and dominate as quickly as Clayton Kershaw did. Pitchers like Wheeler, who undergo some major injuries and miss significant time, are far too common. It’s exactly who Walker is.
Wheeler missed all of 2015 and 2016 with the Mets just as Walker settled for just three starts in 2018 and a single inning in 2019. The age 25 and 26 seasons were lost for both of these arms. Wheeler returned from his injury, struggled, and then began to find his best stuff again with the Mets in his final two years.
Since joining the Phillies, he has become one of the best pitchers in baseball.
The hype for Walker has been present for several years. He successfully came back from injury in 2020 to go 4-3 with a 2.70 ERA in his 11 starts during the weird shortened season. His time with the Mets resulted in a 19-16 record with a 3.98 ERA. The only period of great concern was the second half of 2021 when his All-Star first half was hyped out.
More recently, Walker was 12-5 with a 3.49 ERA for the 2022 Mets in 29 starts. He has stayed healthy for two straight years now. This was a concern for him, but should no longer be an issue.
With this deal, the Phillies are making one thing perfectly clear: they don’t want to get caught wondering who pitches Game 3 of the World Series. He’ll join a rotation stacked with Wheeler and Aaron Nola at the top. Ranger Suarez’s promising left arm will be there, too.
The Walker signing isn’t as significant as the Trea Turner deal. It is, nonetheless, an essential one. Can they strike gold again as they did with Wheeler?