The Phillies have released veteran right-hander Taijuan Walker, per a club announcement. Philadelphia also optioned right-hander Alan Rangel to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and recalled right-hander Nolan Hoffman.
Walker, 33, is in the final season of a four-year, $72MM contract that didn’t pan out at all as the team hoped. It was a surprisingly large contract at the time he signed the deal. Walker was fresh off a solid 29-start showing with the Mets (3.49 ERA, 157 1/3 innings), but his rate stats didn’t support that level of run prevention. Walker had a decent season as an innings eating, back-of-the-rotation starter in year one of the contract (4.38 ERA, 172 2/3 frames), and he posted solid results between the rotation and bullpen in 2025 as well (4.08 ERA, 123 2/3 innings).
The other two seasons of the contract have been a nightmare. Walker was one of the least-effective pitchers in the sport in 2024, yielding a 7.10 earned run average across 83 2/3 innings. This season has gone even worse. The veteran righty has pitched 22 2/3 innings and been shelled for 25 runs (23 earned) on a whopping 36 hits and 11 walks with only 17 strikeouts. He’s working with the second-worst velocity of his career — ahead of only that disastrous ’24 campaign — and missing bats at his lowest levels ever. Between those red flags and the 9.13 ERA, the Phillies were left with little choice but to move on as they try to crawl out of an 8-16 hole and snap a woeful eight-game losing streak.
The Phillies will remain on the hook for the rest of Walker’s $18MM salary this season. He’s still owed a bit more than $15MM of that sum. Any team that signs Walker would owe him only the prorated league minimum for any time he spends on said club’s major league roster or injured list. That amount would be subtracted from what the Phillies owe, but they’re paying the vast majority of the tab even in a best-case scenario.
Ace Zack Wheeler will return to the Phillies’ rotation this weekend, though it’s anyone’s guess how he’ll perform on the heels of a procedure to address thoracic outlet syndrome. He’s posted a 5.85 ERA in 20 minor league rehab innings, albeit with more encouraging rate stats: 28% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate, 45.1% ground-ball rate. Wheeler will join last year’s Cy Young runner-up, Cristopher Sánchez, longtime top prospect Andrew Painter, and veterans Aaron Nola and Jesús Luzardo in the Philadelphia rotation.
All told, Walker ends up with 402 2/3 innings of 5.12 ERA ball as a member of the Phillies. He now becomes the second high-priced veteran whose contract will effectively be eaten by the Phillies this season. Outfielder/designated hitter Nick Castellanos was also cut loose from the final season of a five-year, $100MM contract just prior to spring training. He’s since signed with the Padres, for whom he’s batting .146/.196/.208 in 51 plate appearances. As with Walker, the Phillies are paying the vast majority of Castellanos’ $20MM salary. The Padres only owe him the prorated minimum for any time spent in the majors.
BOOM!
Bohm next?
He said boom not Bohm.
If Bohm doesn’t turn it around he’ll be signing a minor league contract somewhere. He doesn’t add any value to a team unless he has an OPS of at least 110 especially with what he’s making.
And he is hoping for long term deal
Yup, so the phans and phront office won’t be able to blame it all Thompson when he gets canned shortly 😱
Bohm has options remaining.
“Bohm has options remaining.”
Lethal Injection or Firing Squad?
Lmao I love Phillies fans
Woof
Dang.
Jays for a couple weeks? Rekindle that old flame.
He looks cooked.
So, Red Sox?
i think he has just enough crafiness that if your expectation is 5 innings and an ERA in the 5 range- he can deliver. That is 5th starter on a bad team.
I would still give him the Giolito deal- meaning i would take Walker right now over Giolito. I think both are back end guys, and really i would take the one willing to take 3m this year to be my 6th or 7th guy getting 10-20 starts in the bigs this year with the rest of the time spent in AAA.
Braves could use him for a start or two. He’s better than Carrasco (probably).
I dont know if hes better than Carrasco(i doubt it), but even so, hes definitely worse than a whole lot of older AAAA types languishing in the minors.
His contract was the only thing keeping someone more deserving of getting that shot.
Ha, I only say he’s probably better than Carrasco because of how awful Carrasco has been. Probably a wash, but Walker was definitely better as of last season.
No
No thanks. And Carrasco doesn’t start.
I was thinking the same.
Woo-hoo!
THE NIGHTMARE IS OVER!
Dave
What took you so long
Straight up gave him his walking papers.
Oof. A signing that aged like milk. Maybe he’ll find a bullpen role elsewhere.
. . . in Taiwan
Tijuana more likely…
Taiwan and even Tijuana are mildly insulted. The only thing Walker should be pitching is term life insurance.
He’s got his career earnings and will get full pension because of his service time being over 10 years. Dude could sit around playing video games and smoking weed all day for the next 50 years if he wanted and never run out of money.
yes, but this is a rough way to go out. i think he tries to sign somewhere just to have a happier ending to his baseball career.
Took long enough and will go down as one of the worst signings and continued to be played signings of Dombrowski’s career. His end of the Phillies run is looking incredibly ugly with the release of Nick C and Walker…What’s releasing 40M hurt? HA!!!
Can he afford to eat Nolas putrid contract and when will he fire his incompetent manager.
No; and not soon enough!
the saving grace (at least for walker) was that it was not that long of a deal. This was/is the standard contract for a #3-4 type SP. The reality is for most of these guys, losing a tick on their FB at 30 moves them from #3 SP to AAAA.
That’s a lot of wasted money released this year with Casty as well.
Better than having the wasted money AND the two wasted roster spots.
Word on the street is that Dumbrowski is still trying to find the guy who signed Walker. He’ll solve that case right after he identifies the guy who forgot to acquire a legitimate cleanup hitter
They need high contact on base hitters. If they had that they could move Harper or Schwarber to cleanup. They just have too many high strike out low contact guys
Interesting. And no one understands the value of Luis Arraez in your lineup
Where? He’s a poor fielder everywhere he plays
They have a legitimate cleanup hitter, they just choose not to use him in that spot.
This was a bad contract before the ink dried. I never understood this move, phillies thought they were stealing him.
I will never understand why they let Zach Eflin walk when he signed a 3/40 with TB. Neither pitcher was over powering, but Eflin never walked anyone and looked as if he was developing nicely under Cotham.
Totally with you there SkiMan, I thought Eflin was pesky. Just a bad move, sometimes teams covet guys from division teams. Its like they figured they were getting another Zack Wheeler or something.
the phils let efflin walk because he’s constantly injured. i was thrilled we didn’t bring him back despite the talent
To be fair- when they let him walk, he did not have that bad of a history. The Os on the other hand have lost big on him
I wouldn’t necessarily say that they have “lost big on him.” Especially considering how the Walker contract turned out for Philly – Eflin pales in comparison.
He signed with the Rays.
Must be rough to get $72 million and not be able to do a decent job
Thank God. I’d rather see Dylan Moore pitch.
Me too! 🤣
The price for ignoring reality can be very steep. I doubt any other team would have given Walker more than a 1 or 2 year deal at the time.
i am sure he had other offers in that ballpark.
mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/mlb-trade-rumors-top-50…
guess before he signed was 4/52- but Taillion (whom back then i would have coin tossed which one i took) signed basically the same contract as Walker. So this tier of SP this was the going rate that year. Eovaldi and Manea got less. Bassitt got more for 1 less year. Of that group i think Walker (at that time) was closer to Taillion and Bassitt than Manea (and Eovaldi should have been able to demand more- not sure what happened there- maybe age).
This is a really really dangerous level of the market. I have no idea why teams keep buying this level at this price- most of them are bad deals. These are good players with warts- and most fall apart as they age since there were red flags from the start.
Injury history for Eovaldi is what limited his potential contract at the time, if I remember correctly. He seemed like he was always a pitch away from falling apart again.
Mets reunion coming up?
I really hope not, with the front office you never know when the genius will strike.
@Cohn
So is that the “a negative and a negative make a positive” theory?
“Best By date” on the carton said mid -January 2026.
Phillies saw that expiration date and said, “It doesn’t smell like it’s spoiled milk. Eh, good enough to still drink!”
Some pitching needy team will give him a shot. For the prorated league minimum it can’t hurt
White Sox
No thank you to the White Sox. He’s cooked, rather see young arms struggle and develop.
More dead money for 2026, but this clearly had to happen. You can’t work high in the zone every night with that repertoire. This team needs to start playing like they are all about to join him.
Hopefully the first of a number of dominoes to fall.
Luzardo needs to step it up. He’s got better stuff than his numbers show.
Stay focused and execute pitches. Once it goes sideways in a game for this guy, he falls to pieces.
Too bad it didn’t work. Phillies let Eflin go for Walker who signed a shorter deal for less money and certainly put up better numbers during that time. Taiwan had one decent year with Philly, but to his credit he seemed like one of the better teammates. Always on the top step of the dugout living and dieing with the team.
*dying
That surprised me. Maybe the Astros should get him as cheap pitching depth?
He’d fit right in with the rest of their staff!
Does he walk 6 people per 9?
Does he give up lots of runs?
Does he make the fanbase frustrated?
If yes, then he fits.
I watched the Cubs game where he started after the opener. He wasn’t that bad to get fired. It wasn’t good either but to get fired is little extreme
We’re you watching the game blindfolded ?
5 runs 4 Earned isn’t that bad. Your question make it sound like he gave up 15 earned runs ..
A lot of cash to do nuthin.
320M luxury tax payroll, 38M to players that are no longer on the 40-man roster, 8-16 record.
They are doing a good job of placating the Mets in someway.
I still like the Mets and the Phillies both to turn it around this season but when they are losing, it doesn’t just stink, it reeks.
Neither will turn it around…one has gotten old quickly and the other doesn’t have enough depth.
Phillies starting pitching is too good.
Mets have the players, they need to get their rotation set behind McClean, Peralta and Holmes, Minter returns to the bullpen, they get Lindor and Polanco healthy and figure out some sort of consistency with their lineup, they will win some games.
No ABS in ’27
Phillies starting pitching is too good.
=====================
Potentially. Only Sanchez currently looks good. Nola hasn’t been good for a while. Luzardo has been getting rocked. Painter is a rookie. Wheeler is returning from a tough injury.
@JoeBrady, right, potentially. I picked the Mets to win the division. Its looking like a bad pick. They were potentially the best team from what I gathered in the preseason.
It will be a good summer. Whose going to unload a stack and make a big trade? Byron Buxton in the blue and orange?
Joe Ryan a Met?
AJ Ewing, Jonah Tong, Jack Wenninger, Kevin Parada heading to Minnesota? That would be a nice return. Add a A ball prospect and that trade could be made sooner than later.
Mets have the prospects to make a big deal.
ABOUT TIME
So many decisions by the Phillies been absolutely dreadful but at least they are addressing them.
Next to go… Long and Thomson.
About freaking time
Over the winter I had suggested a trade with the Angels.
Phillies acquire:
– Mike Trout (5/$180M)
– Reid Detmers (1/$3M)
Angels acquire:
– Nick Castellanos (1/$20M)
– Taijuan Walker (1/$18M)
– Gabriel Rincones Jr. (#8)
– Keaton Anthony 1B (#29)
– Wen Hu Pan (#19)
Most agreed the salary relief might be appealing to Anaheim, and a way for them to do right by their franchise player. It would have been a clever way to handle the “Casty” situation. Angels get a much needed LH OF’er, some RH thump and nice pitching prospect with some international appeal – while adding 2 veterans to a patch work roster. The salaries would have cancelled out even money in 2026, and the Phillies finally would have had some protection for Bryce Harper in the cleanup spot. Detmers is the kind of LHP the Phillies brass has done wonders tinkering with, getting the most out of these cast off southpaws. Most people that argued, believed the Phillies would be crazy to do that move. As it stands, Trout would probably get 5/$180 on the open market right now, so the Phillies could’ve avoided paying a dime to Casty or Walker this year. Just took some work and creativity, and maybe taking back a bad longer term contract. The other suggestion was LA Dodgers for Tanner Scott, who coming into spring training seemingly had one of the worst contracts in baseball.
Mike Trout has a full no-trade clause, him playing in Philadelphia is just never happening.
So you’re basically saying it only took until April 23rd to realize that was a bad idea???
There is no “salary relief” that getting rid of Mike Trout makes sense.
It’s going to be kind of hard for the Phillies to trade Castellanos to the Angels now that he’s on San Diego’s roster.
He said “over the winter”.
should have added the word now to my sentence
What a fantastic deal for the Angels. I can’t understand why they didn’t do it.
He’s been bad and had to go. Maybe this sends a message to the other slackers? Probably not, there’s some bad long term contracts on the roster.
He should be able to get 3 outs, most of the time. Who couldn’t use his help in the bullpen. New team would do wonders
“Surprise surprise surprise”! 🎶 “It was just a matter of time” 🎶
💥BOHM💥
No Giolito for three mill?
They Phillies have to do something about this offense, they tried the Garcia thing it’s a flop and just about everyone could have predicted that. Bohm is atrocious and has been for a while. Marsh is marsh he belongs in a platoon. Stott is ok when he’s hot and awful when he’s not. Realmunto is injured and has been on the decline for 3 years.
I don’t know if there is a trade out there in April but they need to get more out of this offense. Harper and Schwarber are doing their jobs, Trea seems to start slow every year. Crawford is a nice piece but he can’t be the 4th best offensive player on the team
Garcia may be flopping offensively but he is an astronomical improvement defensively in right field.
ads, “Harper and Schwarber are doing their jobs.”
Schwarber – .198 batting average – sub-Mendoza Line.
38 Ks in 25 games – 2nd in the majors.
0 for 4 last 2 games, despite previous interviews in which he stressed how the Phils had to do better.
The last game against Braves and first game against Cubs in Chicago – made last out of the game with runners in scoring position.
Has 8 homers in 25 games. Averaging a homer every 3 games. 4 players have more homers than him, and 8 others have as many. Schwarber and Mickey Moniak currently have the same number of homers.
15 RBIs in 25 games – ranks 38th in majors. Last season was 5th in majors for leaving runners on base.
Running and defensive liability. Named absolute worst defensive outfielder in baseball in 2024. Also, whenever he plays the field, he can’t hit – as in yesterday’s game.
So, a .198 hitter who is 2nd in the majors in Ks, gets a homer every 3 games, and can’t play defense is worth $30 million a year?
Do you think this could be causing some dissent among Phillies players who play offense and defense every game for pocket change, only to get criticized for their mistakes and lectured by Schwarber in the media about the need for everyone to do better?
You have just discovered what is wrong with the Phillies. They are paying $30 million a year to a player they can’t afford. They need that money to obtain players they need to fill weak gaps on the team.
They also need to free up the DH position that Schwarber monopolizes and start a DH-by-committee that will allow the older players to take a day off every week from defensive duties. Guys like Harper, Realmuto, Turner, Bohm, and Sosa would benefit from such an arrangement.
So, the Phils should trade Schwarber now while he still has trade value for younger players who could fill in their current gaps.
Finally, Walker’s failures in Philly began when he had a good year but was left off the playoffs roster in 2024. It’s been all downhill since. Things like that matter to players, no matter what the players say or what their manager says.
Note to Topper – Punishing good behavior and rewarding bad behavior results in neurotic tendencies.
Wow! That sure was a lot of words to just say ‘I’m clueless’
Thank goodness. He did not handle being over paid very well.
Who is going to play 3rd, Sosa? I think Bohm is addition by subtractiin bc his gloomy behavior is a real downer for the team. However, he produces better then half the 3rd baseman out there. Miller is at least 45 days from playing regularly so he is not an option.
Bohm need to go on the restricted list until he can sort out his legal stuff with his parents. I don’t believe his head is in the game at all.
If they don’t win the series in Atlanta, I think Thomson gets fired Monday.
Walker is one of the nicest guys on the team but this is the reality of the sport. I wish him well and hope he is able to go somewhere else and reinvent himself.
Turned to my son last night and said “this guy looks like he actually throws worse than Miles Mikolas”.
Looked like that parent from the stands that throws those pitches to 7 year old kids so they can hit them.
“Go on take the money and run:
Phillys window has closed
R-E-B-U-I-L-D.
But like the Yankees fans, the Philies fans will not stand for a full re-do, so DD will use “patches” along the way before he is let go.
Maybe a “re-tread” like Michael Chavis instead of Bohm. It seems like he’s figured it out in Louisville.
There is know way Trout gets 5/180 or 5/100 or 5 years. Trout was a great player and may have gas in the tank. No one would have taken that contract “over the winter” without the angels eating half and getting zip in return, other than salary relief.
It’s time to send nick castellanos packing. He stinks
It’s about time. He was ok the first year but utter crap since.
reds, This is the first season where talk of Trout moving to the Phils actually makes sense. The Angels are going nowhere with or without him, but he could instill new life into the Phils. He’s not the player he once was, but he’s still able to motivate players and crowds. The Angels are not going to give away the future Hall of Famer for nothing. My deal would be Trout for Schwarber and Garcia, with incidental pieces thrown in by either or both sides. Trout gets his wish to one day play for the Phils, and hopefully right their ship, and the Angels get Schwarber, a perennial fan favorite, and Garcia, an inconsistent power hitter with plus defensive abilities. Trading Schwarber also allows the Phils to move to a DH-by-committee which would help the older players get a break from defensive duties once a week. Acquiring Trout helps solve the Phils outfield problem. Garcia compensates the Angels for their loss of a solid defensice outfielder. This may be the only time when such a swap would make sense, and the teams may need to involve other players to make the numbers work. Schwarber has always been a player the Phils couldn’t afford. Trout, the legend, may be the one player the Phils cannot afford to be without. The parking lots at CBP overflow whenever the Angels are in town because the Jerseyites love Trout. CBP has had a lot of empty seats lately, even with Schwarber aboard, and Trout may help the Phils start filling those seats again.
fight, Never say never. Desperate times demand desperate actions. Trout would pack the house in Philly and undoubtedly help the team more than Schwarber. The Phils need to add a catcher with a future, a few more reliable bats, and a lot more pitching. If they can get this for Schwarber, they’d be crazy not to trade him. The days of the Phils experimenting with aging players are over. The Phils need to start thinking like the Cubs, Reds, and Pirates. They need to fill every position with young, hungry, and consistent players.
Off to the Angels. He’ll fit right in.
Not really. Their starters have the 4th most accumulated WAR in the AL even with Kikuchis bad start & the 5th spot in flux. The staff as a whole is tied for 4th in ERA+ and have a ERA & FIP under 4
They’ve also got some interesting pitching prospects in AAA including some former Phillies ones.
I still might prefer him over Shaun Anderson and Hunter Strickland. 😂😂😂
Only 17 Ks in 22 innings! What an overanalysis. It’s 22 innings. Typical. But yeah, he stinks.
Dombrowski has a soft, forgiving owner. But DD will bail after this season leaving the bloated, geriatric contracts to Mattingly Jr. Long 6-8 years ahead.
We can say what we want especially with the Mets start. Still remaking your team a season early instead of late is always best. Ask the other big time GM in Philly.
OK. Walker jettisoned…wont mean a thing to the team. This is not a great rotation with or without him…very much over rated.
The mistakes that created this were made last year, but the Phillies were handcuffed at the deadline by a playoff run that went predictably poof….it was time to trade the soon to be free agents for prospects and short term gap fillers for a short rebuilding period of 2 or 3 years….now it will be a decade…..we’ve seen it before…Ruben Amaro anyone?
I’ve seen this act before circa 2010 – 2013 seasons. You can’t hang on to players that have passed the upside of their careers. It’s funny but I’m always amazed by career baseball executives wishing/guessing that a guy will somehow be better than he’s shown.
Yep. I commented here last year that the Phillies being in a playoff spot at the deadline was the worst thing for the future of the team…forced them to not sell on Schwarber,Realmuto and Suarez.
I knew they would be one and done…after the the 23 Arizona series loss they were not the same playoff team…tight and playing not to lose…
So based on my long experience as a fan…I saw this coming. It will be literally 10 to 15 years before they are a relevant WS threat again. I probably will be dead before that…or too senile to know any better…lol…but as a phaithful..well maybe they do a 180 and turn it around this year…lol
fish, I sat at CBP and watched 3 Astros pitchers no-hit the Phils in the world series a few years ago. It was the only world series game I ever attended. After that game, I said the Phils experiment with Schwarber, Harper, and Turner was over, and everything would be downhill for the Phils from that moment on. Years before that, I made the following predictions on this board:
1) Harper would never retire in a Phillies uniform,
2) The Phils would never win a World Series with Schwarber DHing full time, and
3) The Phils would never win a World Series with Thomson managing.
As the Zen Master said, “we’ll see.”
Its the deer in the headlights look when they collectively start trying to hit every pitch out of the park…they all seem to feed off each other in a negative way…Hoskins seemed to be able to loosen them up as a core….I thought they missed his presence in the playoffs after he left…not sure who the ‘leader’ is in the clubhouse…Harper maybe..but he gets tight…so Hoskins may have had a way of just taking the edge off…
Lol…maybe they should see if Casty left some beer in his old locker..
fish, The Phils never appreciated how much Hoskins added to the team, and should have never let him go. I laughed when I read the recent reports that he and Harper are such good friends, and Harper wants him back and is even willing to move back to the outfield to make room for Hoskins. If Harper and Hoskins were such good friends, why did Harper campaign so hard to move from the outfield to first base in the first place? He had to know that would force the Phils to get rid of Hoskins. I think Harper is a generational talent, but one whose best days are behind him. I also think Harper has always been about Harper. If he is campaigning to bring back Hoskins, it could only mean one thing – that Harper is tired of playing defense and wants to take over as the Phils’ full time DH. That’s why I have believed for some time that the Phils might trade Schwarber before this year’s trade deadline, especially since he gets vested as a 5-10 player after this season and can then refuse any future trade. They can’t trade Harper, but they probably realize the error of their ways and the folly of paying $30 million a year to a DH-only player who hits a homer every 3 games, and is currently hitting .189 with 40 Ks in 26 games. If the Phils were smart, they’d trade Schwarber, Harper, and Turner for 9 solid players – position and pitchers, with whom they could start to rebuild a solid team. They already have guys like Bohm, Marsh, Sosa, and Crawford who they could use as a solid core. This is especially important to do now because there could be a work stoppage and no MLB for the better part of 2027. The Phils gave the top shelf a shot, but it didn’t work. The trick now is to pattern the next team after the Cubs, Reds, and Pirates – more hard workers and fewer celebrities. I would also try to bring Hoskins back, not foe his bat or glove as much as all the intangibles he brings to the park every day. Finally, Ohtani, Judge, and Trout are franchise players. Harper is no longer in that same class. That’s why I think he probably wants out of Philly and why he is making such a big deal about a bigger contract he knows the Phils won’t give him. A contract dispute is his exit strategy.
I think some club would be better off with him, than a possibly arm.problem Giolito!
Clubs can sign him for the pro rated minimum salary, than the $3 million Gioltonis going to receive.
Bohm and Stott have scored 10 runs this year in 169 plate appearances…
Were Caesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco BETTER THAN
Bohm and Stott?
Hernandez was better than stott. He was excellent defensively and steady at the plate.
Franco and Bohm are a wash…Franco had more natural power but Bohm is actually a better hitter all round…his head is not there right now…needs to end his family issues or toughen up mentally…
fish, It’s amazing how well Bohm has held up over the past few years, considering how unfairly he’s been treated by the fans and media. He’s probably the best contact and clutch hitter the Phils have, and hopefully he’ll have the chance to prove it again when his personal affairs get straightened out. News that you’re suing your parents can’t be easy for a kid, and most people who read such news won’t take the time to find out the truth behind the headlines. Many athletes and entertainers have been taken advantage of financially by their own parents. This, as well as the aftermath, can be psychologically devastating to someone. By the way, Hernandez was better than Stott, who seems to be in a fog for the past 2 seasons, and Bohm will ultimately show he’s better than Franco. I actually see a little bit of Franco in this Reyes kid.
I root for Bohm. He appears to be a really good guy…hes worked hard too be decent at third. He comes off as vulnerable..I guess that’s the way I can word it…not meaning that as an insult…and the family issues must be so horrible for him. Honestly..the team has bigger issues than Bohm.
Reyes does remind of Franco…hope he continues to improve. Franco hit a ceiling and never matured as an MLB player…like most of the Phillies prospects since early mid 2000’s. Hyped..rushed up and then they cant meet expectations in Philly…behind the 8 ball before they even start..
Give Grandpa Rossy a call, Dave