The Philadelphia Phillies are on the lookout for left-handed relief pitching that can help their bullpen situation. Apparently, any southpaw will do. At least, that's the message the front office sent on Thursday evening when the Phillies announced they had acquired lefty Josh Walker from the Toronto Blue Jays.
This news came just hours after the Los Angeles Dodgers struck a deal with the Cincinnati Reds for former All-Star closer Alexis Díaz, per MLB.com's Sonja Chen. So, while the Phillies are dumpster diving, their National League competition landed a reliever who, despite his recent struggles, has shown the ability to pitch very successfully in the majors.
Phillies acquire left-hander Josh Walker from Blue Jays in minor trade
If you're wondering who Josh Walker is, you're not alone — heck, there are Toronto fans who don't know who he is. The Blue Jays had designated the 30-year-old for assignment and managed to extract cash considerations out of the Phillies in the late-May exchange. The Phillies added him to the 40-man roster and sent him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The Phillies have acquired LHP Josh Walker from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations. Walker was optioned to Lehigh Valley (AAA).
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 30, 2025
Walker, who was originally a 37th-round draft pick of the New York Mets in 2017, has a total of 27 1/3 innings pitched over parts of three seasons since making his MLB debut in 2023. Appearing in 24 games for the Mets between 2023-24, Walker posted a 6.45 ERA and 1.66 WHIP with 23 strikeouts and 12 walks in 22 1/3 innings.
After signing a free agent deal with the Blue Jays in the offseason, Walker made three appearances out of Toronto's bullpen. He allowed four runs over five innings for a 7.20 ERA and 2.00 WHIP. He struck out eight batters and walked just two.
While Walker struggled with high walk rates (11.7 percent) in New York, he showed much better in his small sample size with the Blue Jays, down to 8.0 percent. His 15.2 percent swinging strike rate this year is better than the league average for relievers (11.3 percent) as is his 31.5 percent called-plus-swinging strike rate. The league average is 27.7 percent.
Alexis Diaz would have been a better gamble for the Phillies to take
As for the Dodgers, they had to give up more than cash considerations in their deal for the 28-year-old Díaz. Only two games behind the Phillies for the top record in the NL, they dealt minor league pitcher Mike Villani to the Reds.
Even though he's a right-hander, Díaz would still have been a better gamble than the lefty Walker. The brother of Mets closer Edwin Díaz was an All-Star in 2023 after finishing fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting the year prior. Over those two years, he ran a 2.47 ERA with 47 saves with 169 strikeouts against 69 walks in 131 innings.
He struggled to a 3.99 ERA in 56 1/3 innings last year, and got off to a horrible start this season after dealing with a hamstring injury before Opening Day (subscription required), per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, that delayed his debut. He posted a 12.00 ERA and 2.17 WHIP in six innings, but the Dodgers think they can do something to help him get right.
The Phillies are obviously betting on the same thing with Walker. With the suspended José Alvarado out of the picture until mid-August, left-handed relievers are at a premium in the Phillies' major league bullpen. As are high-leverage relievers.
The low-risk gamble here is that the Phillies might be able to help Walker unlock something in Triple-A and add him to the stable of minor league relief depth. He has one option remaining, so if things get dire, we might see him in Philadelphia at some point down the road.