MLB spring training is officially over as the 2025 regular season is only two days away from starting. The Philadelphia Phillies will be heading into the new campaign looking to win back-to-back NL East titles for the first time in over a decade, and that journey begins with Thursday's Opening Day matchup against the Washington Nationals.
The Phillies have one of baseball's best on-paper rosters, brimming with talent at most positions. Having said that, not everyone's future with the club is safe — especially after the disappointing end to the 2024 season.
In fact, one Philadelphia veteran's future with the franchise has never been less secure than it is ahead of Opening Day.
Taijuan Walker's Future With the Phillies is Hanging by a Thread
Veteran right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker is clearly on thin ice ahead of his third season with the Phillies. Philadelphia signed the former All-Star hurler to a four-year, $72 million contract back in December 2022, only for Walker's performance to come nowhere near close to matching his price tag.
After a solid 2023 performance, Walker was the main source for a lot of Phillies fans' frustration one year later. The former 2010 first-rounder was one of MLB's biggest letdowns in 2024, going from a career-high 15 wins to a putrid 3-7 record as he pitched his way to a 7.10 ERA and 1.721 WHIP while surrendering a whopping 11.5 hits and 2.6 home runs per nine innings.
The Phillies fanbase was hoping they wouldn't have to see much of Walker in 2025. Philadelphia had acquired veteran southpaw Jesus Luzardo from the Miami Marlins in December while top prospect Andrew Painter seemed poised to jump to the MLB level, seemingly leaving no place for the struggling righty.
Unfortunately, Ranger Suarez beginning the year on the injured list has led to the Phillies awarding the No. 5 starting pitcher job to Walker. Instead of proving to fans that the coaching staff made the right call, the 32-year-old RHP did the opposite by allowing four earned runs and six hits on 88 pitches across four innings during Monday's 8-6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
With that performance, Walker finishes spring training with a 7.41 ERA and 1.820 WHIP with a .342 batting average allowed across 17 innings. In other words, those aren't exactly promising numbers for a declining pitcher who's slated to make $18 million in each of the next two seasons.
Failure to turn things around quickly could see the Phillies demoting Walker soon after the 2025 season begins. If his struggles persist beyond that, it isn't unfathomable that they'll look to move on for him before the trade deadline once Suarez is healed.
Hopefully, Walker will rediscover his touch so that he can help Philadelphia achieve success this year. As it stands, the Phillies will head into Opening Day with the fourth-best 2025 World Series odds (+1000) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
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