Taijuan Walker contract: Breaking down Phillies pitcher's salary details in 2023
The Philadelphia Phillies will be without their star pitcher Taijuan Walker for the upcoming few games as the club has decided to give extra days off, owing to recent struggles.
The 31-year-old elected free agency after opting out of his contract with the New York Mets in 2022. The Phillies moved swiftly to capture the signing of the pitcher for a four-year deal worth $72 million.
He arrived at the club a day after the record signing of shortstop Trea Turner for an 11-year contract worth a whopping $300 million.
The investment came on the back of Walker's consistent run with the Mets over the last two seasons, and it has borne fruits for the Phillies as well.
The 2021 All-Star player will receive a base salary of $18 million and have a total salary of $18 million in 2023 with the Phillies.
The Philadelphia Phillies lend extended rest to Taijuan Walker amidst a mid-season slump
Walker is going through a slump in the second half of the season, which is disappointing but not totally unexpected. The 31-year-old pitcher has a history of dropping off midway through the season after a strong start.
He boasted a 2.55 Earned Run Average before the All-Star break last year. However, his ERA slumped to the 4.80 mark after the Mid-Summer classic.
Although Walker is not renowned for his velocity, his pace has dropped off in recent outings, evident during the 8-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.
He allowed three runs on three hits, along with six walks in his team's loss. Despite the recent slump, manager Rob Thomson feels that Walker will return to his best after getting adequate rest.
“Once we get him rest and get him in the pen and see where his stuff is at, I think we’ll have a pretty good indication at that point,” Thomson said. “We’ll see how he recoups in the next couple of days, and put the rotation together after that.”
The 31-year-old is unlikely to feature in the Phillies' upcoming series against the Toronto Blue Jays and the Washington Nationals, respectively, and might feature in the series opener against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, August 22.
“I think the rest [this week] will do him some good. We want him with us. We want him pitching. He’s got 13 wins under his belt with a really good ERA. When he’s right, he’s one of our guys.”