2) The Phillies should’ve signed Chris Bassitt instead of Taijuan Walker
Phillies fans got to know a little more about Chris Bassitt last season when he was a teammate of Walker’s on the New York Mets. A far more consistent pitcher than Walker has been albeit a few years older, he ended up signing with the Toronto Blue Jays instead. His three-year deal worth $63 million has a higher AAV than Walker but only slightly.
Bassitt struggled early this season with Toronto but has since turned things around in an amazing way. In 9 starts he is 5-2 with a 3.05 ERA. He’s on such an amazing roll right now with three straight starts of 7+ innings and zero runs across the board; earned or unearned.
While Bassitt doesn’t have the postseason pedigree Eovaldi could have brought the Phillies, he has shown eating innings is something he’s capable of. Bassitt threw 181.2 frames for the Mets last season. Not only should the Phillies have looked to sign him instead of Walker, they should have taken aim at adding him as well. After all, having a planned fifth starter be Andrew Painter with Bailey Falter as the fallback was a mistake from the start.
The Phillies may have been a little scared off by Bassitt’s asking price. However, this next pitcher they could have signed ended up with a cheaper contract. He isn’t have as excellent of a year