The Philadelphia Phillies parted ways with Taijuan Walker earlier this season. With Zack Wheeler returning from thoracic outlet surgery, the club jettisoned the 33-year-old starter after he posted a 9.13 ERA in five appearances.
It didn’t take long for the right-hander to find a new home. Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports that Walker has agreed to a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels. He’ll report to the club’s Spring Training facility in Tempe, Arizona.
While Walker’s tenure with the Phillies did not go well, the right-hander will get a new opportunity with another organization.
Taijuan Walker’s Disastrous Tenure with the Phillies
The Phillies have been largely successful with Dave Dombrowski leading their front office. However, one contract he’d like to have back is the four-year, $72 million deal given to Taijuan Walker before the 2023 season.
Walker’s first year with the club went relatively well. In 31 starts, he posted a 4.38 ERA and 4.53 FIP across 172.2 innings. Despite the unsightly ERA and FIP, park-adjusted run prevention metrics painted Walker around a league-average starter, with a 99 ERA- and 102 FIP-.
The Phillies included the right-hander on their Wild Card and NLDS roster, but he did not pitch in a game. When they advanced to the NLCS to face his old club, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Walker was left off the roster in favor of midseason trade pickup Michael Lorenzen. His lone postseason appearance for Philadelphia came in Game 3 of the 2025 NLDS in mop-up duty.
However, the deal quickly went underwater afterward. Walker struggled with injuries and, at times, was relegated to long relief. In that time period, the club saw Cristopher Sanchez ascend to an ace and acquired Jesus Luzardo to strengthen their rotation.
Walker had another opportunity to stick in 2026. With Wheeler in the middle of a lengthy rehab assignment to ramp up to a starter’s workload, the 33-year-old had five opportunities to show he belonged in the rotation. However, his performance was not enough to keep him in the rotation.
With Wheeler returning, the Phillies chose to eat the $18 million owed in the final year of the contract. Instead of marooning him off to the bullpen, like in 2024 and 2025, the club released him on April 23.
Taijuan Walker’s New Opportunity with the Angels
Signing with the Angels serves as a bit of a homecoming for Walker. The right-hander starred at Yucaipa High School, which is about an hour east of Anaheim.
The Angels are in desperate need of pitching, even in another lost year for the organization. They’re 28th in ERA (4.98) and 22nd in FIP (4.37), despite their rotation being anchored by ascending ace Jose Soriano.
While it would only amount to a drop in the bucket, the Phillies would get a salary credit if Walker resurfaces in the major leagues. The Angels are responsible for just the league minimum, so Philadelphia would only get relief to a prorated portion of that amount.
The Phillies will travel to Anaheim on August 28-30 to take on the Angels. Should Walker be on their roster, whether as a starter or reliever, it could serve as a subplot for the series.
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