Could Starting Pitching Be The Phillies Creative Difference?

At the start of the offseason, President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made it clear at his end of season press conference that the Phillies were going to look for creative ways to change the roster up a bit. However, with about a week and a half left before pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater, Florida, it seems more like that idea was a bunch of fluff to make fans not be as critical of whatever decision Dombrowski made in free agency; it didn’t work.

Fans have been, and rightfully so, very critical of Dombrowskis less than ideal offseason performance. However, that does not mean Dombrowski can’t make a creative move before pitchers and catchers report, which could greatly benefit an underrated issue that could hurt the team during the season.

The issue that could potentially rear its ugly head during the season is the fact that the Phillies lack depth at the starting pitching position. The team has a very good rotation, even with the unknown of Andrew Painter and the injury recovery of Zack Wheeler. But looking under the hood, the team does not have very encouraging backup plans.

In a scenario where Wheeler takes too long to recover, Painter or Taijuan Walker struggles, the minor league system would be relying on the ability of players like Alan Rangel, Tucker Davidson, Jean Cabrera, Michael Mercado, or Seth Johnson. To say the least, that is a very underwhelming fire department if smoke starts to rise in the rotation. However, there is a potential solution the Phillies could attempt to go after that would help the depth of the rotation, and maybe even the bullpen.

That is Taijuan Walker.

Walker was a very valuable, underrated piece of the Philies’ rotation and bullpen last season. A sigh of relief given in 2024, he pitched to a 7.10 ERA before bouncing back this season with a 4.08 ERA, numbers perfect for an inning-eating 5th guy in the rotation. However, even with a good bounce-back season, Walker signed a 4-year $72 million contract with the Phils after the 2022 season and hasn’t been worth that price tag. He’s entering his final year of that 4-year deal and will be making $18 million, and that’s exactly where Walker could be useful for team building, and Dombrowski can get created

In an ideal scenario, the Phillies could trade Walker away and retain none of the money owed. There is minimal reason to think the Phillies can’t get rid of Walker via a trade. It also seems reasonable that the Phillies would at most have to retain about $5 million, and that is probably a more pessimistic estimate for what the Phillies might actually have to retain. The Phills shouldn’t worry about who they get back in trading Walker away; what is important is that the Phillies get $18 million to spend. There are plenty of starters still available in the free agent market that won’t cost as much as Walker will this season and could provide just as much value, or a minimal decline compared to Walker.

There are a couple of routes the Phillies could go; they could look for a pure starter who will need to be able to be moved from the majors and minors, or an unlikely candidate to be stolen by another team if put on waivers. The players that come to mind, and according to Spotrac would be extremely cheap, are Tomoyuki Sugano, German Marquez, Jose Urquidy, or John Means. Those are just a few players who have major league experience and, for one reason or another, could be looking to rebuild their value and could be willing to take roles, such as being in the bullpen or taking a minor league deal until the Phils need them.

There are a few players that could also bring very good value, but have a few more questions surrounding them due to either money or ability. Walker Buehler spent the second half of the season with the Phillies and performed very successfully, including being a part of the bullpen. His value according to Spotrac is at $10 million dollars. Two other players that would be extremely valuable for the team and are actually valued at a cheaper level than Buehler, however, might be less willing to take a bullpen role, are Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Both Verlander and Scherzer have experienced every aspect of baseball and are well into their 40s now, but are still some of the most legendary players of all time and could have enough in the tank to give the Phils some valuable innings, and could help the development of young talent like Painter.

While it is far more likely than not that come Opening Day, Walker is on the Phillies, and none of the players mentioned as potential options on the market are. But this is a fun exercise to see what the team can do to make changes on the roster to limit a potential issue that could come about this season. However, hopefully the Phillies will not need to dig very deep into their starting pitching depth this season.

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