Why Taijuan Walker is a potential high-upside arm for Cubs originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Hot Stove season is here, and NBC Sports Chicago is taking a look at free agents who could fit the Cubs’ needs — and budget. Next up is Blue Jays starting pitcher Taijuan Walker.
The Cubs didn’t want starting pitcher Taijuan Walker the last time he was available in free agency. Could it come down to whether Walker wants the Cubs this time around?
Walker, 28, worked out for the Cubs early in spring training this past February, coming off a two-season stretch where he only made four starts due to Tommy John surgery and his subsequent recovery. Two days after that workout, he signed a one-year deal with the Mariners.
But this time could be different.
Three Cubs starting pitchers — Tyler Chatwood, Jon Lester and José Quintana — are free agents, and only Lester seems likely to return, should any, as he and the club have expressed interest in a reunion. The Giants are rumored to be interested in him.
Lester’s return would give the Cubs five starting pitchers, along with Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks, Alec Mills and Adbert Alzolay, but they’ll be in the market for starting pitching whether or not the veteran lefty is back next season.
If a Lester-Cubs reunion doesn't happen, Walker is a good fallback option to fill out the rotation who could come in with similar expectations. He’s a high-upside arm that might be available at a comfortable price tag for the Cubs, who are in cost-cutting mode after a season of revenue losses and, according to new team president Jed Hoyer, have a payroll “range” for 2021.
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Walker, who spent four seasons with the Mariners and three with the Diamondbacks from 2013-19 before returning to Seattle this past season, sported a 2.70 ERA in 11 starts in 2020. Six of those starts came with the Blue Jays — Seattle dealt him at the trade deadline — and he posted a 1.37 ERA with Toronto.
He faced a wider variety of teams than most starting pitchers, taking the bump against clubs in the AL and NL West, and the AL and NL East, during the shortened season with regional schedules.
Two of Walker's best starts, where he pitched a season-high seven innings on both occasions, came against playoff teams in the A's and Dodgers, too. However, his overall peripherals (4.56 FIP, .243 BABIP) along with his above average walk rate (3.2 per nine innings) suggested there was a little bit of good luck in his ERA.
The most significant part of Walker’s season is he seemed healthy after a lengthy road back to the mound. Before undergoing surgery, he averaged 27 starts from 2015-17, and while his four-seam fastball velocity is down (93.5 in 2020) from his first few seasons, it wasn’t too far off from his career average (94.4).
If he’s healthy, Walker is a solid back end of the rotation arm with the chance to pitch more like a mid-rotation guy, one that could be available for a bargain. That, along with his age, will make him appealing to a number of teams, and the Cubs could be one of them.
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