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Mariners Reportedly Interested In Taijuan Walker

By Connor Byrne | December 19, 2019 at 7:52pm CDT

Right-hander Taijuan Walker entered the professionals as the 43rd overall pick of the Mariners in 2010. Walker didn’t realize his vast potential with the Mariners, nor has he since they traded him a few years ago, but a reunion between the two could be in the offing. Walker’s now a free agent, and Seattle’s “definitely interested” in bringing him back, Greg Johns of MLB.com writes.

Walker, once among the game’s premier prospects, left the Mariners in a blockbuster trade just over three years ago. That deal sent Walker and now-star second baseman/outfielder Ketel Marte to Arizona and delivered middle infielder Jean Segura (now a Phillie) and outfielder Mitch Haniger to Seattle. Walker was then coming off his second straight reasonably productive season in the majors, and the 6-foot-4 starter debuted well with the Diamondbacks in his first year with the club before injury troubles cut him down.

During his initial campaign with the Diamondbacks, Walker pitched to a 3.49 ERA/4.04 FIP with 8.35 K/9, 3.49 BB/9 and a 48.9 percent groundball rate across 157 1/3 innings. But Walker totaled a mere 14 frames over the next two years (just one last season) on account of arm problems. Walker underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2018, which is one of the reasons Arizona decided to jettison him earlier this winter instead of paying him a projected $5.025MM in his final run through arbitration.

While the D-backs didn’t want to take a chance on Walker in 2020, he does look like an intriguing free agent in an ever-dwindling marketplace. A rebuilding team like Seattle, which has few to no established arms in its rotation after Marco Gonzales, looks like a good fit.

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Seattle Mariners Taijuan Walker

Angels Notes: Payroll, Ryu, Keuchel, Ohtani
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NL East Notes: Bumgarner, Ryu, Cespedes, Nationals, Phillies
View Comments (39)
Post a Comment

39 Comments

  1. padnastikador

    5 years ago

    More teams should be

    4
    Reply
    • fighting69th

      5 years ago

      Agreed.. did the M’s trade him or let him go I can’t remember. Wish the Angels would’ve been in on him.

      1
      Reply
      • fighting69th

        5 years ago

        Disregard, should’ve read the recap of the deal

        4
        Reply
      • larry48

        5 years ago

        M’s traded Walker to Arizona.

        Reply
    • ayrbhoy

      5 years ago

      If indeed there are multiple teams interested I have a hard time believing Tai wants to come back to Seattle- Dipoto didn’t want a Jack Z draft pick on his team

      Reply
  2. The-Two-Germanys

    5 years ago

    Sign Walker, let the ink dry on a new Hultzen contract and then let’s get this band back together again.

    5
    Reply
    • paullovestacos

      5 years ago

      We’re on a mission from GOD

      4
      Reply
    • tedsfrozenhead

      5 years ago

      That is priceless.

      Reply
  3. algionfriddo

    5 years ago

    Mariners… PLEASE get this done. Taijuan is a solid bet to be a mid rotation level guy if healthy. An incentive laden deal is ideal here.

    3
    Reply
    • MarinerMiner

      5 years ago

      I agree. He is young enough that he even could fit their future plans in regards to the rotation. I also really want to see the M’s offer Betances a one year deal which would give them a potential trade chip mid season if he proves healthy.

      1
      Reply
  4. mr. g

    5 years ago

    Cubs please.

    Reply
    • The Human Toilet

      5 years ago

      They would have to give him a MLB deal, and the Cubs have no money, Theo is currently living in his car and the The Ricketts family can be found at the local homeless shelter in Chicago. Times are rough…

      1
      Reply
  5. compassrose

    5 years ago

    I agree he would be a good pick up. It is usually a year to come back from TJ surgery. He had so much potential would be great to have him Marco Dunn and Sheffield then one of the other guys I forget their names at the moment. They are looking good in AA. Which could turn into a complete failure that is the nature of the beast. Seattle needs some luck with some of these picks they haven’t had the best of luck. Not going to say deserves I don’t think any one deserves anything from a poor run team. Next few years should be interesting good or bad.

    1
    Reply
    • khopper10

      5 years ago

      Gilbert is the name you’re looking for

      1
      Reply
      • Benjamin560

        5 years ago

        Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Isaiah Campbell, Brandon Wlliamson, Sam Carlson, and Ljay Newsome are all promising prospects. Seattle’s farm system has quickly reloaded its arm’s race, along with the 6th pick in next year’s overall draft.

        Reply
  6. bradthebluefish

    5 years ago

    Would be a good addition and worth the risk.

    1
    Reply
  7. Richwp01

    5 years ago

    Walker is a flyer more teams should be looking at. Mariners already signed Graverman

    2
    Reply
  8. steelerbravenation

    5 years ago

    Hanigar & Seager to Braves for Waters, Riley & Muller

    Reply
    • foreverseahawk

      5 years ago

      im with you on that trade steeler but can the brave afford seager

      Reply
      • steelerbravenation

        5 years ago

        Why not he basically makes what Hamels makes. AA is willing to pay Donaldson more over the course of the next 2-3 years while Seager is essentially signed for less than what they are willing to give them
        Maybe you even get Seattle to eat some money for a better prospect. For me only Pache, Anderson & Contreras would be off limits.
        Riley would be the key to the deal for the M’s as they don’t seem to have a 3B of the future and his power plays to their park.

        Reply
    • JaredK38

      5 years ago

      What about Haniger, Seager plus 15 million for Riley, toussaint, and Wright? Maybe mariners even throw in a bullpen arm like tuivallala or Swanson.

      Reply
      • steelerbravenation

        5 years ago

        Lbringing in Hanigar I would say makes Waters expendable and I am still not ready to give up any of the young arms. I believe all of them can be successful once they find what role the fit in.
        I feel Wilson can become a dominate bullpen arm closer of the future type and I see Touki becoming a Ramiro Mendoza type reliever a guy that can throw 100 innings out the bullpen
        Wright I see getting maybe 10-15 starts this year and then moving into the rotation next year when Hamels leaves.
        Anderson will then fill his role and then move into the rotation when Folty leaves. I feel like Newcomb will be the breakout Brave this year. It takes LHSP that throws the heat he does awhile to put it all together. His problem is not stuff it’s location. I think Kranitz will harness that with a full offseason

        Reply
        • JaredK38

          5 years ago

          I totally understand why you wouldn’t want to give up on Touki and Wright. However, Mariners are stacked at OF prospects. While Waters is a great piece. The Mariners need a future 3rd base (Riley?) and lots and lots of pitching. Maybe we would have to add more to get all three….But this move makes sense for both sides.

          Reply
    • houkenflouken

      5 years ago

      Any trade involving Haniger cannot bring back an outfielder. We have a bunch of those and would rather bring back 2 pitchers and an infielder or something.

      2
      Reply
  9. Nuke LaLoosh

    5 years ago

    Make it happen M’s.

    1
    Reply
    • Nuke LaLoosh

      5 years ago

      And get Alex Wood while you’re at it.

      2
      Reply
      • throwinched10

        5 years ago

        100%.
        Gonzales, Wood, Walker, Kikuchi, Graveman, Sheffield, Dunn. All of them have the opportunity to earn a place in the rotation for 2021 and beyond.

        2
        Reply
  10. Seven_Costanza

    5 years ago

    With his injury issues how come no one is talking about a move to the pen? He definitely has the arsenal to be a good reliever.

    Reply
    • houkenflouken

      5 years ago

      I’m sure that’s in the back of people’s minds if he can’t cut it as a starter, but as we know SPs have more value and he was a very interesting SP before he got hurt. He can always make a move to the pen after a SP tryout.

      Reply
      • Dag Gummit

        5 years ago

        Because injury concerns usually aren’t as big a shift-to-the-pen flag as an “electric 1.5-/ 2-pitch pitcher”, I suppose. To me, RP joints seem to blow up just about as much as SP joints, though it would have to get parsed out to know better than my intuited guess.

        Reply
  11. jd396

    5 years ago

    I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get signed as a cheap fixer upper project and find some success.

    1
    Reply
  12. bigdaddyhacks

    5 years ago

    Ms grab him and make him a closer.

    1
    Reply
  13. Jbigz12

    5 years ago

    This is guy the Orioles need to be in on. I don’t understand why the O’s wouldn’t kick the Tires.

    Reply
    • Lets Go DBacks

      5 years ago

      Because the health issues might be too concerning. Rather keep the money in the pocket then. If I were owner of a tanking team I’d keep the GM on a tight leash of spending my money.

      Reply
  14. frankf

    5 years ago

    I’d love it if the Cubs would take a flier on him. I mean Rickett’s would probably have to sell a kidney or something, but hey.

    1
    Reply
  15. tango1036

    5 years ago

    Ms should offer Walker a $3m to $4m one year contract with performance bonuses and an additional year’s extension.

    Reply
  16. 7heals

    5 years ago

    I like the prospect they have that they’ve gotten in a trades last year what they really need right now for the next season is back of the bullpen shut it down pictures set up & closers they do need like I said I wasn’t happy at first with the trades but I’m just glad that now the minors have a good players to make that up

    Reply
    • Dag Gummit

      5 years ago

      The just need pitchers. The rotation (5th worst with 5.21/ 5.12/ 5.4 ERA/ FIP/ WAR) was just as bad as the pen (4th worst with 4.77/ 4.87/ 0.4 ERA/ FIP/ WAR), after all.

      Reply
  17. tedsfrozenhead

    5 years ago

    Take an incentive laden flyer on him and see what he’s got left.

    I don’t think the Mariners trade Haniger until they see how he comes back from the ball buster. Although he struggled early last season he is a 5 tool player with superstar potential. You see what he will give you and trade him at the deadline if you don’t like what he brings

    Reply

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