It took a while for serious pitching injuries to appear this spring, but now the biggest injury news so far in the preseason is the recent reports out of the New York Yankees' training camp over in Tampa, Florida. Decorated veteran right-hander Gerrit Cole will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery on Tuesday, throwing the Yankees' starting rotation into even more flux.
Coming a week after youngster Luis Gil was shut down with a lat strain, the 2023 AL Cy Young winner's final elbow diagnosis will make for an interesting final stretch of the spring for the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers will likely be looking around for rotation help and the Philadelphia Phillies might be in a position to help out.
With a solid top five in the starting rotation after acquiring Jesús Luzardo this winter, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski might put in a phone call to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman with an offer that would help both teams.
Trading a rejuvenated Taijuan Walker would help Phillies’ payroll and Yankees’ Gerrit Cole injury jam
Veteran right-hander Taijuan Walker has, by all appearances, turned things around this spring after a disastrous 2024 campaign. Despite his high price tag of $36 million over the next two seasons, he's an obvious trade candidate for any team desperate for starting pitching. The Phillies would likely have to eat some of his salary, but if it helps get them some more wiggle room to manage a payroll currently over the top luxury tax threshold, they might jump at the chance.
The Phillies came into training camp hoping to salvage some value from the 32-year-old who sported a 7.10 ERA in 83 2/3 innings last year. His offseason program was designed to help him build his velocity back up. So far, so good. Walker has thrown 5 1/3 innings over two starts in Grapefruit League action, allowing two runs on six hits (two solo home runs) while striking out four without issuing a walk.
Manager Rob Thomson recently said that Walker is being treated as a starter this spring, but barring an injury to a member of the starting five, he'll end up in the Phillies' bullpen to begin the year. His roster spot seems relatively safe right now, especially after the revelation of Matt Strahm's doubtful status for Opening Day.
He looks more like the player the Phillies signed two offseasons ago. He looks different this spring, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, with better velocity, command and movement. His fastball has touched 93.9 mph, much better than the 90.2 mph after his delayed start last spring.
“If he [Walker] does what he's doing right now, he's back,” Thomson said, per Zolecki.
Most fans, of any team, will look at Walker's body of work in 2024 and wonder why their front office would want to take a chance on him at the back of its rotation. But, if he continues trending up this spring, his redeemed value could turn him into a trade chip. The problem is, if he's back to the pitcher the Phillies were hoping he would be, he'll be a valuable emergency rotation depth option. Getting through a full MLB season without pitching injuries is unheard of, so they might not want to part with Walker.
But if the Yankees come calling, they'll certainly listen.