The Twins Should Finish the Offseason by Adding Taijuan Walker

[Cooper Carlson]

The Twins obviously still have at least two question marks in their rotation and with the offseason coming to an end it wouldn’t hurt to add some depth. Taijuan Walker gives you that depth with a lot of added upside. Walker should be the finishing touch on this Twins offseason.Spring Training is rapidly approaching and starting pitcher Taijuan Walker is still available to be signed. He was the fourth overall prospect in baseball in both 2012 and 2013, but he hasn’t had much luck in his career. He has a career 3.95 ERA and 4.21 FIP and he is surprisingly only 27 years old. So why hasn’t anyone signed him? Well, he has played a total of 14 innings since the start of 2018 due to injuries.

 

He missed all but 13 innings in 2018 due to Tommy John surgery and then dealt with many nagging injuries that only allowed him to play one inning in 2019. He has not been healthy in two years and that has derailed his career. A player that once showed ace potential at the top of the draft and the top of prospect rankings is now struggling to find a team.

 

I think it makes a ton of sense for the Twins to target him, and the Twins seem to agree. According to LaVelle E. Neal III at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Twins have expressed interest in bringing him in as a possible non-roster invitee for Spring Training. The rotation currently has only three locks to make it with Rich Hill and Michael Pineda out to start the season and you never know what you'll get from Homer Bailey. It makes sense to add Walker in order to avoid starting the season with two rookies and to add some depth.

 

There really isn’t a downside to adding Walker and the upside could be really high for the former top five prospect. It makes a ton of sense if the Twins think he is healthy again and can get back to his former self. What do you think of Taijuan Walker? Is it enough of an upgrade to the rotation? I think it would be very interesting so I hope the Twins finish the offseason with Walker.

 

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[Doctor Gast]

Being 4th prospect overall he must have a lot of potential. As a non-roster invitee w/ a commitment we can sign him when Hill goes on IL. w/o having to effect the 40 man. See what he & Wes can do, it could be a fantastic 

[Dantes929]

If Cal Ripken had broken a couple toes on a foul ball and then sprained an ankle or broken a leg on a double play they would have called him injury prone.    The only question is:.  Is he healthy right now? 

[rdehring]

Know almost nothing about him.  But, this sounds like the perfect signing for the Twins late this offseason.  A youngish prospect with tons of upside, at least on paper.  Expect with two openings in the opening day starting rotation, the Twins would be an ideal place for him to land.  All that is left is for the Twins and his agent to get it done.  Then it is up to him to be both healthy and effective in spring training. 

 

Still happy with the Twins opening the season with two of Thorpe, Smeltzer or Dobnak in the starting rotation.  But heck, why not take a chance on a young guy who once had ACE potential. 

[Tommygun921]

Could sign him to a minor league contract with him knowing he'll make the roster once Rich Hill gets placed on the 60 day IL. Then they can at least get him started working with the coaching staff. Worth a shot assuming the Twins feel he's worth the money he's asking for.

[DannySD]

The Twins are the perfect situation for him. He could be the missing piece to the start of the season. 

 

He'd be competing with Dobnak, Smeltzer, Thorpe, and Bailey for 3 roster spots. 

[The Wise One]

Great upside with Walker, but I would think at this point he is holding out hopes for a mlb contract, Hold out hope for a MLB contract is not a bad thing to do

[jorgenswest]

I think the downside is giving him 8-10 starts to find out he is mediocre and not giving that opportunity to Thorpe or Dobnak. It is the same downside with Bailey. We needed one of those guys but we I don’t think they need two. Would Walker have been a better choice? Maybe. He had xFIP- of 100 his last two healthy seasons of pitching. I guess the hope would be a complete recovery where he returns to the league average pitcher he was in 16-17.

[yeahyabetcha]

As a non-roster invitee, why not...I suspect a lot of other teams would make the same offer to him

[IndianaTwin]

 

As a non-roster invitee, why not...I suspect a lot of other teams would make the same offer to him

 

True, but how many can offer him Wes, the experience of having worked with Pineda coming back from TJS, two open spots in the rotation, and the opportunity to have the Twins lineup on his side? 

[akmanak]

The guy is made of glass but I don't see a reason not to sign him.

[scottz]

If they can get him on a non-roster invite, it’s a near perfect situation for the Twins assuming he’s healthy and interested. I think what we have to ask ourselves is, where does he keep his horses?

[diehardtwinsfan]

no thanks on a major league deal, but as a minor league deal with an invite, sure... I'd give him an opt out too if he wanted, but not a guaranteed spot on the 40 man.

[Post-Concussive Blues]

I wonder if his shoulder is still a problem, and teams aren’t giving him a major league contract that he is seeking.

[AlwaysinModeration]

Perhaps they have talked to him, and said they would add him once they are able to get Hill on the long-term IL. One would assume he would find the opportunity to play for the Twins appealing.

[bobs]

I'd guess the speculation that he's waiting for a ML deal are accurate.  Would be smart for him.  But if he can't get one, you know what would really be smart??  Come work with Wes Johnson and have the Twins lineup to support you if you can get back.

[howieramone2]

I can't believe the board is embracing dumpster diving. Thorpe and/or Smeltzer will handle the 6 game or so Pineda void just fine.

[specialiststeve]

Have said it all off season that we should get him signed. As Bobs said am sure he is looking for a major league deal. Pretty sure all the teams are asking him to take a minor league deal. Am guessing if we did a major league deal he would be signed tomorrow if the money was right. As far as the minor league deal we would need to have pretty good incentives in there to make him sign here.... I would be good with it as his upside is pretty high. 

[Brandon]

Another depth move would be to sign Bartolo Colon to a AAA deal. He wants a chance to come back and could be depth as well.

[DocBauer]

If he's hurt or has no velocity, then pass. But a former top prospect And only 27yo is exactly the type of flier a team like the Twins should be looking at.

 

From Walker's perspective, you get to join a competitive, winning team with real post season aspirations, a wide window, a respected new pitching coach, and there is real opportunity here.

[LylesCrocodiles]

Minor league deal. Sign me up.

[Channing1964]

All i can say about him is look at his career thus far. I live in Arizona now and obviously I attend 5-7 Spring Training games a week during March(and sometimes February). If i remember right this guy held down a rotation spot for the Mariners at least 3 years. He was then part of a trade that brought Ketel Marte to the Diamondbacks prior to, I think the 2017 season and spent that entire year in the D-Backs rotation and started a game against the Dodgers in the NLDS. Why wouldn't we want him? I can't believe he's still available. This is a no brainer. Thank you for bringing it to everybody's attention.

[USAFChief]

I assume the reason he's still unsigned is serious health concerns.

 

Minor league deal with an invite, sure. But if he was worth a major league contract and roster spot, he would already have one.

[the_brute_squad]

Sign him to a minor league deal. There's never a problem with too much pitching.

[Tomj14]

 

I can't believe the board is embracing dumpster diving. Thorpe and/or Smeltzer will handle the 6 game or so Pineda void just fine.

Some might considering giving a starting rotation spot to Thorpe or Smeltzer dumpster diving.

Even if the would have signed Wheeler, Odo and Madbum, signing this guy to a minor league contract as depth and lottery ticket wouldn't be a bad idea, giving him a major league contract is not a good idea at all.

 

[howieramone2]

Thorpe and Smeltzer foretell the future. Thorpe comes from TR's IFA initiative and Smeltzer from Falvey's storied 2018 trade deadline moves.

[Greglw3]

 

I can't believe the board is embracing dumpster diving. Thorpe and/or Smeltzer will handle the 6 game or so Pineda void just fine.

Don’t forget that Thorpe had a 6.18 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP. He was pretty bad down the stretch. That said, I realize he could grow and be a valuable starter. But if Walker is healthy now, and he might be, I would much prefer his career 3.95 ERA to Thorpe’s 6.18. Smeltzer seemed up and down to me. I’d rather have someone with experience. Then if things aren’t working out or there are injuries and Thorpe and/or Smeltzer have strung up several good starts in AAA, they can be the insurance policy. DObnak, I’m not sure about....he was good down the stretch but when the bright lights of NY were on, he collapsed. Maybe a little more AAA time for him.

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Another depth move would be to sign Bartolo Colon to a AAA deal. He wants a chance to come back and could be depth as well.

That would be more of a breadth move, rather than depth.

[Channing1964]

i am pretty sure theres going to be some non roster invitees at Spring Training we all can complain about as well. Having Graterol as a bullpen piece is only a presumption. What if they decide to stretch him out for six weeks? What if Romero sees the Wes Johnson light and blossoms into the starter we all hoped it he would become?. Its way too early to speculate, having Walker around would be a good move no matter how its done.

[Channing1964]

and im not saying anything about "Big Sexy"