The free-agent pitcher is reportedly headed to join the National League champs.
Taijuan Walker is reportedly heading to the Phillies on a four-year, $72 million deal, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
With Walker heading to Philadelphia, it marks the second time in three seasons that the Phillies have secured a pitcher from the Mets. In 2019, the Phillies signed Zack Wheeler from the Mets.
Walker posted a 12-5 record last season, compiling a 3.49 ERA in 29 starts last season in New York. The 2021 All-Star posted his best season in 2017, posting a 3.49 ERA through 157 1/3 innings and 32 strikeouts in 28 starts with the Diamondbacks.
However, in 2018, Walker partially tore his UCL in his right elbow which required him to have Tommy John surgery, bringing his season to an end.
In 2019, he played in Arizona’s final game of the 2019 season before becoming a free agent in December of that year. Walker landed a one-year deal with the Mariners to begin his second stint in Seattle.
But Walker spent a little over six months with the Mariners before he was traded to the Blue Jays. Following his stint in Toronto, the 30-year-old landed a two-year deal with the Mets in Feb. 2021.
Walker will join a Phillies’ rotation that includes Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez. Last season, Philadelphia (87-75) earned a spot in the MLB playoffs as a wild-card team before going to earn a National League pennant but losing to the Astros in the World Series.
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