NEWSLETTER
Here comes the midrotation market. It was Andrew Heaney to the Rangers earlier today, and now it’s Taijuan Walker to the Phillies.
Walker had been connected to the Cubs, though he was far from the only guy. The Phillies figured to sign one of the guys in this tier of the market, especially after splurging on Trea Turner – they weren’t going to leave the rotation untouched after that.
Walker, 30, was really solid for the Mets last year after dealing with tons of injury issues, but it wasn’t enough to get him a Qualifying Offer. Thus he comes free of draft pick compensation attached, and that probably helped him get four years.
With the Phillies getting Walker, there are still a number of arms left in this tier for the Cubs, with Kodai Senga at the top, but also Jameson Taillon and Chris Bassitt, for a few examples.
OK, as I’m typing, the full terms come out and HOLY FREAKING CRAP:
Walker projects to be a 4-ish ERA guy next year, roughly league average or a little worse. A perfectly fine arm to have in your rotation, and he’s only 30. But FOUR years at about $18 million per year?! I did not see that coming, and it’s a reminder that these starter price tags are just so different from what we’re used to. Again, the lack of a Qualifying Offer no doubt helped, but still. Wow.
