With Don Mattingly pushing all the right buttons, the Philadelphia Phillies have successfully weathered their early season storm and are right back in the hunt for an NL Wild Card spot. In May, the team ranks 12th in runs scored (103) and third in ERA (2.91).
However, one flaw continues to haunt the offense in particular: right-handed production. In this same span, the Phillies have gotten a 57 wRC+ from their righty hitters, which ranks ahead of only the Colorado Rockies. That group is hitting just .198/.255/.307; in other words, every time a righty steps to the plate for the Phillies this month, they're hitting like Edmundo Sosa.
Longtime Phillies scribe Jim Salisbury offered up an outside-the-box solution to that specific problem: Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker.
Christian Walker to the Phillies?@JimSalisbury215 makes the case for the team to make a move for the Astros' first baseman. pic.twitter.com/O8nmzJbglJ
— ThePhilliesShow (@ThePhilliesShow) May 27, 2026
As Salisbury points out, Walker isn't a seamless fit for this Phillies squad. He's old, expensive, and he plays the same position as Bryce Harper. That's not exactly a combination of factors that will make Dave Dombrowski salivate from excitement.
Yet he does own a 135 wRC+ this year. For that reason alone, he's a legitimate trade candidate to watch.
Christian Walker is a perfect fit for Phillies' offensive needs
Before diving into the numbers, let's address each of Salisbury's concerns. At 35 years old, Walker certainly wouldn't bring down the average age of one of the oldest teams in the majors. Still, he's performing like an All-Star, and the Phillies are in a win-now window. It'd be silly to pass on him just because his prime is on the verge of ending.
His $20 million salary this year and next is more concerning, seeing as that AAV would push the Phillies over the dreaded third tax threshold. Maybe the team could find a way to dump money in order to offset Walker's contract, but this is just the price of competing in the same stratosphere as the Dodgers these days.
Finally, Walker is a first baseman only, but he is at least a good one. He's won three Gold Gloves at the cold corner, and his +3 OAA and +3 DRS easily outpaces what Bryce Harper has done on defense this year (-7 OAA, -1 DRS). It may seem foolish to move Harper around while he's hitting so well, but he's already said that he'd move back to the outfield in order to accomodate a legitimate first baseman.
Assuming Dombrowski can look past all of that, he'd be wise to call up the scuffling Astros and try to strike a deal. Walker is actually running reverse splits this year, but his 114 wRC+ against southpaws would be a huge boon for an offense that struggles mightily against left-handed pitching.
A virtual guarantee to hit 25+ home runs for the past half-decade, Walker brings the kind of right-handed pop this team is missing in the worst way right now. Considering that all of his aforementioned flaws would only serve to drive his price tag down in a trade, the Phillies could do worse than doubling down on their veteran core with a slugging first baseman.
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