3 free agent pitchers the Phillies should’ve signed instead of Taijuan Walker
You only get one chance to make a first impression. The first impression Taijuan Walker has given the Philadelphia Phillies this year is equivalent to spilling a drink on a new boss whose name you got incorrectly pronounced. He’s amazingly only 3-2 but the owner of a 6.53 ERA and someone who has been chased before tossing 5 innings in 5 of his 9 starts.
Walker’s most recent appearance against the San Francisco Giants was his worst. Walker was lifted in the first inning after retiring two batters. He was charged with 4 earned runs in what would turn out to be a Phillies loss to the San Francisco Giants. The Phillies may have reached a little too far by signing Walker this offseason to a four-year deal worth $72 million.
There may already be some regrets. Looking back at some of the other options the Phillies could’ve gone after, these three pitchers on the same tier with similar contracts would have been much better additions.
1) The Phillies should’ve signed Nathan Eovaldi instead of Taijuan Walker
Nobody made more sense for the Phillies this offseason than free agent Nathan Eovaldi. The connection to Dave Dombrowski from their days with the Boston Red Sox made him a perfect fit to reunite in Philadelphia. Instead of the Phillies, Eovaldi was one of several free agent starting pitchers the Texas Rangers signed. He ended up with salaries of $16 million in 2023 and 2024 with a $20 million vesting option for 2025.
So far, Eovaldi has been a bargain for the Rangers while Walker is looking like a payroll burden.
Eovaldi has gone 5-2 with a 2.83 ERA in his 9 starts for the Rangers. He already has a complete game shutout and managed to follow it up with a pair of 8+ inning performances. Eovaldi is 9 for 9 at going 5 innings or more.
What would’ve made Eovaldi especially good for the Phillies is his playoff experience. Alongside Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler, the Phillies rotation would have been formidable. Walker hasn’t had the chance to prove he is a big game pitcher. At the rate he’s going, he never may get it even if the Phillies find themselves back in the playoffs again.
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
3) The Phillies should’ve signed Michael Wacha instead of Taijuan Walker
At 4-1 with a 4.06 ERA after 8 starts for the San Diego Padres, Michael Wacha isn’t having the kind of season where any Phillies fan should riot over letting him land elsewhere. Because Wacha didn’t sign until February 16, he remains a name the Phillies and many other teams could’ve taken a late offseason stab at trying to get.
His contract is a strange one. After the $7.5 million this year, there is a $16 million team option for 2024 and a $6.5 million player option as well. It’s similar in 2025 with the player option dropping by a half-million. There’s yet another player option for $6 million in 2026.
The chess match contract was something the Phillies could’ve conjured up to protect themselves. It boils down to the Padres giving Wacha very good money if he performs well and not quite as much if he doesn’t. Whether you like it or not, we can all appreciate the creativity by everyone who masterminded this deal.
Wacha wouldn’t be up there with Eovaldi or Bassitt in terms of what the Phillies need most. He could and still does have the capability of being a good enough number three or four starter. Given how badly Walker has pitched, the beating Ranger Suarez just took, and the absence of a fifth starter completely, Wacha is the kind of pitcher the Phillies should have probably inked in addition to the rest of their offseason moves.
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