Phillies acquire mid-rotation starter by agreeing to a deal with pitcher Taijuan Walker

SAN DIEGO — Dave Dombrowski sat on a couch near a window in a seventh-floor suite at the Manchester Grand Hyatt and assessed the Phillies’ search for a middle-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.

“I’d say we’ve had a lot of conversations,” he said Tuesday. “I can’t say we’ve made any headway.”

That was the middle of the afternoon. By dinnertime, the Phillies had an agreement with free-agent right-hander Taijuan Walker on a four-year, $72 million contract. Team officials couldn’t comment on the deal because, like Monday’s $300 million splash with star shortstop Trea Turner, it’s pending a physical.

» READ MORE: How owner John Middleton pushed the Phillies to land Trea Turner

But, just like that, the Phillies’ rotation is set.

Well, almost.

Walker, 30, is expected to slot in behind Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suárez. In 29 starts this year for the New York Mets, he posted a 3.49 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 157⅓ innings. Over the last three seasons, he has worked 369⅔ innings and posted a 105 ERA+, meaning he was 5% better than league-average pitchers.

Counting the average annual values of Walker’s contract ($18 million) and the two-year deal struck with reliever Matt Strahm late Tuesday night ($7.5 million), the Phillies are approximately $4.5 million over the $233 million luxury-tax threshold, with another reliever acquisition still possible.

A four-year commitment to a No. 4 starter is considerable — eyebrow-raising, too, considering the Phillies have Wheeler under contract through 2024, Suárez under control through 2025, Andrew Painter (and fellow prospects Mick Abel and Griff McGarry) coming, and a stated desire to extend Nola’s contract, which runs out after next season.

But given the need in the middle of the rotation, it was the cost of doing business on the free-agent pitching market.

Zach Eflin and Kyle Gibson, who left in free agency, combined to throw 243⅓ innings last season. Factor in the potential departure of Noah Syndergaard, and the Phillies had to replace 288⅓ innings in the starting rotation.

Some of that will come internally. A Phillies official said this week that he “will be shocked” if Painter “isn’t our No. 5 starter coming out of spring training.” Never mind that manager Rob Thomson has not yet watched the 19-year-old top prospect pitch in person.

Dombrowski has said the Phillies will hold open the fifth-starter spot for a “youngster.” But even if Painter wins the job in spring training, the Phillies almost certainly will need innings out of that spot from lefties Bailey Falter and Cristopher Sánchez, too.

» READ MORE: 35 things to know about new Phillie Trea Turner

It’s necessary, then, to have a No. 4 starter who is capable of logging innings while putting up at least league-average numbers. The Phillies cast a wide net, according to sources at the winter meetings. Right-hander Jameson Taillon was believed to be at or near the top of their list, multiple sources said. They also considered lefty José Quintana.

But Walker was among the youngest pitchers on the market, 15 months younger than Taillon. After dealing with injuries in 2018 and 2019, he has been durable over the last two seasons, making 58 starts and working 316⅓ innings for the Mets.

The top of the free-agent pitching market began to move last week when Jacob deGrom signed a whopper of a five-year, $185 million contract with the Texas Rangers. The Mets moved to replace deGrom by agreeing Monday on a two-year, $86.66 million deal with Justin Verlander.

Although the Phillies weren’t in the market for either pitcher — nor were they bidding on lefty Carlos Rodón or right-hander Chris Bassitt, both of whom received qualifying offers and are attached to draft-pick compensation — they believed it would take Rodón’s signing to have a domino effect on the rest of the market.

But things may have begun to heat up after right-hander Andrew Heaney, another pitcher in the mid-rotation tier, reportedly agreed to a two-year, $12.5 million deal with the Rangers.

“Some people want to wait and see what happens there as far as clubs are concerned and agents, and others are ready to move forward,” Dombrowski said. “There’s certain guys that we like more than others, certain guys that fall in that category. We’ve touched base with all of them.”

» READ MORE: Phillies offseason tracker, from rumors to potential free agents to done deals.

Painter has sparked the most intrigue among Phillies’ rotation hopefuls because of his age and potential. In 103⅔ innings between three minor-league levels this year, he posted a 1.56 ERA and 155 strikeouts. But he has thrown a total of 109⅔ innings since getting drafted in the first round in 2021.

Is there any way Painter could start and finish the season in the rotation?

“I can’t say there’s no way,” Dombrowski said. “There’s always ways to be creative. Now if you saying, ‘Take the ball every five days, make 32 starts,’ that’s different.”

So, the Phillies set out to find veteran help. And now that they’ve secured Walker, one day after landing Turner, the rest of their offseason will almost certainly revolve around adding a reliever or two to the back of the bullpen.

Kyle Schwarber agreed to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in March. J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper previously committed to playing for the U.S. team, although Harper won’t be able to do so after Tommy John surgery. ... Agent Scott Boras said Harper has “super healing qualities” but also noted that it’s too soon to predict when he may be able to return. ... Realmuto was named to the All-MLB first team. Schwarber and Aaron Nola grabbed second-team honors. ... Phillies vice president of baseball communications Kevin Gregg received MLB’s Robert O. Fishel Award for public relations excellence.