SAN DIEGO — The Phillies aren’t losing time on the Winter Conferences.
Two sources advised MLB.com on Tuesday night time that the Phillies and right-hander Taijuan Walker agreed to a four-year, $72 million contract, pending a bodily. Walker, 30, will slot behind Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez in Philadelphia’s rotation, whereas a mix of left-handers Bailey Falter and Cristopher Sánchez and prime pitching prospects like righty Andrew Painter will vie for the No. 5 job.
A supply additionally confirmed experiences that the Phillies and left-handed reliever Matt Strahm are near a two-year, $15 million deal. He could be the bullpen’s second lefty behind José Alvarado.
Walker and Strahm could be Philadelphia’s second and third vital strikes of the week because it tries to improve its Nationwide League championship roster with a flurry of strikes that had all people speaking within the foyer of the Manchester Grand Hyatt.
The Phillies agreed to an 11-year, $300 million deal on Monday with shortstop Trea Turner, who turned down a $342 million provide from the Padres, a supply advised MLB.com. Turner is scheduled to take his bodily Wednesday in Philadelphia. He could possibly be launched Thursday at a press convention at Residents Financial institution Park.
Walker and Strahm could be introduced later.
However the Phillies checked off three containers this week: shortstop, rotation and bullpen, though they might discover extra relievers.
Walker went 12-5 with a 3.49 ERA in 29 begins final season with the Mets. He struck out 132 and walked 45 in 157 1/3 innings. He threw 159 innings with New York in 2021, making the Nationwide League All-Star crew.
“Ideally, you’re on the lookout for somebody who can throw quite a few innings, offer you 30 begins and throw 160-180 innings,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski mentioned Monday, when requested about his pursuit of beginning pitching. “You wish to have somebody that may throw fairly just a few innings for you, as a result of we’ve bought the Massive Three.”
Walker made solely three begins in 2018 due to a proper elbow damage, which finally required Tommy John surgical procedure. However he made all 11 of his begins within the pandemic-shortened ’20 season with the Mariners and Blue Jays earlier than becoming a member of the Mets.
He has been principally wholesome since.
A possible concern is Walker’s second-half efficiency every of the previous two seasons. He went 7-3 with a 2.66 ERA in 16 first-half begins in 2021, however went 0-8 with a 7.13 ERA after the All-Star break. He went 7-2 with 2.55 ERA in his 16 first-half begins this 12 months, however posted a 4.80 ERA in 13 begins the remainder of the best way.
However then there’s the effectiveness of Walker’s splitter, which he threw extra continuously final season. Opponents batted .195 with a .267 slugging proportion in opposition to it.
Walker simply appeared to suit for the Phillies, who had been all the time procuring in that tier of pitchers under Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander and Carlos Rodón. Dombrowski mentioned Monday that Philadelphia had no urge for food to signal one other participant who acquired a qualifying provide, like Turner, who value the crew its second- and fifth-highest alternatives within the 2023 MLB Draft, plus $1 million from its worldwide bonus pool. If the Phillies had signed a beginning pitcher who acquired a qualifying provide like Rodón, Chris Bassitt or Nathan Eovaldi, they might have additionally forfeited their third- and sixth-highest remaining picks.
“I don’t assume that we might have a lot of an urge for food for that,” Dombrowski mentioned.
Strahm went 4-4 with a 3.83 ERA in 50 appearances final season with the Purple Sox. The common velocity on his four-seam fastball jumped from 93.1 mph in 2021 to 94.2 mph final season.
He successfully takes Brad Hand’s position within the bullpen that features Seranthony Domínguez, Alvarado, Connor Brogdon and Andrew Bellatti.