3 trade deadline options for Phillies to replace Taijuan Walker in the rotation

The Philadelphia Phillies suddenly have a problem with their fifth rotation spot. After a late start to his season, Taijuan Walker has struggled for the most part. With a 5.60 ERA, the overall body of work has been underwhelming.

His most recent issue has been his inability to throw his bread-and-butter splitter this year, thanks to a blister on his right index finger, which landed the right-hander on the 15-day IL. He won’t be back until sometime after the All-Star break.

The Phillies have been able to overlook the veteran's struggles thanks to the other four starters forming the best rotation in baseball. But it's hard to see a team that wants to cruise into the postseason as NL East champions continuing to trot him out there every fifth day for the remaining three months of the season.

What are the Phillies options? They need to get some value out of his absurd-looking $18 million-per-year contract. It's safe to say that most fans are hoping it won't be as a starter. Maybe as a low-leverage, mop-up duty bullpen arm?

Spencer Turnbull was the immediate replacement. Unfortunately, things went sideways on Wednesday. In what was supposed to be his glorious return to the rotation, facing his former team, the Detroit Tigers, Turnbull looked good through three innings but was then pulled with shoulder soreness. He’s now on the IL for six to eight weeks.

Rookie Michael Mercado appears to be the next man up. Although if the Phillies are auditioning for a long-term solution for the firth starter's job, the untested 25-year-old with all of one MLB inning under his belt might be a risky play.

3 trade deadline options for Phillies to replace Taijuan Walker in the rotation

If the Phillies want to look elsewhere for more MLB-proven starting depth, much like they did at last year's deadline by acquiring Michael Lorenzen, there are plenty of options for starters who could slide into the No. 5 role and also be helpful in the postseason.

Here are three options the Phillies could look at as the trade deadline approaches.

Tyler Anderson, LAA

Ranked No. 13 on Bleacher Report's MLB trade deadline big board, Tyler Anderson has looked more like the pitcher who had a career year with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022 than the starter who struggled in his first season with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023. The left-hander is sporting a 7-7 record on a 35-46 Angels team this season, with a 2.63 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.

One of the Angels' few bright spots, Anderson has outperformed his expected numbers. He has a 4.71 xERA, although that's still better than Walker's 5.60 ERA and 6.31 xERA.

His batted ball profile is similar to the Phillies hurler, with a 35.7 percent ground ball rate and a 45.9 percent fly ball rate. He only strikes hitters out at a 15.9 percent clip and has an 11.2 percent walk rate, but he has gotten away with it thanks to an 86.6 percent strand rate and a .225 BABIP.

Walker's alarming 14 percent barrel rate and 51.2 percent hard-hit rate have led to lots of damage against him. Anderson's metrics are much more palatable. The 31-year-old has a 9.2 percent barrel rate and a 34.6 percent hard-hit rate this season.

One catch is that he might come with too high a price tag. He's in his second season of a three-year contract that will see him get paid $13 million next year.

Yusei Kikuchi, TOR

Yusei Kikuchi has had a tumultuous tenure with the Toronto Blue Jays. After a brutal 2022 campaign that saw him struggle to a 5.19 ERA, he bounced back with a strong 2023, posting an 11-6 record and a 3.86 ERA.

Who is the real Yusei Kikuchi? Honestly, somewhere in between those two pitchers. That's what he has shown this season, which is turning into a forgettable year for the Blue Jays.

Before Friday, the 33-year-old left-hander had a 4.00 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 16 starts, posting a 4-7 record for the 37-44 Jays. But those numbers don't tell the whole tale.

Kikuchi started the year off on fire, posting a 2.95 ERA in April, holding opposing hitters to an impressive .242/.285/.344 slash line. May saw his ERA rise to 3.62. And then June started. He has a 6.04 ERA this month. Although, to be fair, not much has gone the floundering Blue Jays' way recently.

Throughout the recent struggles, he has still been logging strikeouts, with a season-long 24.2 percent strikeout rate and 5.6 percent walk rate.

With the prevailing feeling around the league that Toronto should be sellers at the deadline, Kikuchi might just be biding his time and waiting for a move. His expiring contract is at the top of the list of trade targets. If he's on the Phillies' radar, they'd be responsible for the rest of his $12 million salary this season.