The Philadelphia Phillies were able to get back on track with a win on Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians . Furthermore, on the same day, they saw one of their former pitchers finally sign with a new team.
It was a great Saturday for the Phillies. Despite there being some concern about whether or not they would be able to get the game in, a few hours' delay resulted in them finally getting on the field and picking up a shutout win.
While Philadelphia was picking up the win, they did see their former starter from this year, Taijuan Walker , sign a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels . Walker was the first person that the team moved on from when they got off to a slow start, and that is a move that is proving to be right.
Due to it being a minor league contract, Walker's perception across the league isn't good right now. While he will have a chance to turn things around, the Angels shouldn't hold their breath.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
With the veteran right-hander signing a minor league deal with the Angels, a month after being let go by the Phillies, the team clearly made the right choice in parting ways with him. As soon as Zack Wheeler came back to the rotation, there was no need for the struggling Walker, and letting him go was the right move.
Furthermore, with him just finally signing somewhere and it being a minor league deal, it shows that the other teams around the league also believe that he might not be a major league pitcher anymore.
This season with the Phillies, Walker totaled a (1-4) record and dreadful 9.13 ERA in five appearances. While he was serviceable for Philadelphia in 2025, he was also terrible for the team in 2024 with a 7.10 ERA.
While having to eat the rest of his salary this year and not getting any production out of him isn't ideal, this was clearly the right decision. For an Angels team that is once again struggling, Walker likely won't be a positive contributor.
Despite being a good pitcher at one point in his career, he has been pretty bad for the majority of the last three years. At his age, it's unlikely that Los Angeles will be able to find a tweak to help him improve, and he will be a non-factor for the organization.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/phillies/onsi as Why Phillies' Former Pitcher Taijuan Walker Will Be Non-Factor for Angels .
