Taijuan Walker

[Coobelz]

MLB Trade Rumors this morning reporting we're still in on him.  Sounds like he wants a guarantee but looks promising.

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/02/twins-rumors-taijuan-walker-interest.html

 

Depending on the amount, I'd be all over this (even on a guarantee). Ice the offseason cake Falvine!

[howieramone2]

He's a free agent after the season, and still needs to prove he's healthy. No way he can build up his innings to start. Do we need another reliever?

[Doctor Gast]

I`d give him a guarantee to finalize after a physical & ST. L`d like him on the roster

[David HK]

I hope we can do this.  Walker is a dice-roll, for sure, but the potential... We can't assume Odo  isn't gone after this year, and who can possibly know what Hill and Homer will give us? Give him a deal like Pineda's first one, perhaps, and see what happens.  

[bighat]

 

He's a free agent after the season, and still needs to prove he's healthy. No way he can build up his innings to start. Do we need another reliever?

Serious question: how's he a free agent after the season if he's a free agent now? Is it because of the clauses in his contract with Arizona?

[howieramone2]

MLB.com said Arizona cut him to save money on his final year of arbitration. I assume that makes him a free agent next year. But you're right, he's a free agent now with 5 years of service. Maybe I got it wrong.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

MLB.com said Arizona cut him to save money on his final year of arbitration. I assume that makes him a free agent next year.

Arbitration only carries over on trades and waiver claims. Since he was cut and passed through waivers he became a free agent to sign as he pleases.

[Shaitan]

Would he take a 2-year deal with an agreement that he might spend the majority of 2020 in AAA as he works back into shape? It seems unlikely, but it might be win-win that way. He gets 2 years guaranteed and the Twins have one less opening in 2021. I'm thinking similar to the last Pineda deal.

 

But there's a big difference between rehab and a year in AAA.

[Dman]

Thought I also read an article that Seattle was interested in bringing him back so not sure if the Twins can get him or not.  It does seem curious that he hasn't signed yet though.  Is he waiting for the Twins to clear the Rich Hill 40 man spot so they can sign him to a guaranteed contract with a spot on the 40 man?  Or since he hasn't pitched in forever are teams not that interested in giving him a 40 man spot?  Not sure but he is really the only interesting piece left out there so why not roll the dice.

[howieramone2]

Conjecture is he can't pass a physical. Regardless, building up to starter's innings may well take 2 years. No easy answers.

[DocBauer]

I wasn't aware he had developed a shoulder issue after his TJ procedure that limited and slowed his rehab. Obviously, full health is the primary concern here, in addition to his velocity returning. But he is young and was quite good as recently as 2018.

 

Not sure how this plays out, but he could be one of the most intriguing additions a team could make.

[South Dakota Tom]

He is, according to many (our team included) the highest-ranking FA left on the market. I'm sure his agent sees this as a chance to take a minor-league invite deal, or wait for a couple of weeks until a team really needs a starter and get a major league deal. There will be injuries in spring training, and then he goes from a make-good deal for one year, 1-2M plus incentives (if he makes the team), with a potential team-option 2nd year at 4-5M, to a guaranteed 2-3M with a roster spot and FA after. What would you do?

 

Not surprised he's waiting it out.

[Cody Pirkl]

He wants a guaranteed contract and I doubt the Twins are willing to push somebody off the 40 to give it to him. What that basically means is that I bet they give him an offer once spring training starts if he's still around. Once they put Hill on the 60 day, a spot automatically opens. Just doesn't make sense to get rid of somebody when that opening is so close.

[GP830]

I wonder if he'd be a candidate for a Pineda type contract. Take this year to get right, and then next year you're a Twin. 

[stringer bell]

 

I wonder if he'd be a candidate for a Pineda type contract. Take this year to get right, and then next year you're a Twin. 

Signing Walker to a two-year contract would entail losing a player off the 40-man roster. Secondly, since he has five years of service time, it would require that he agree to be sent to the minors on something other than an injury rehab and, of course, injury rehabs are limited to a certain number of days. Finally, in a scenario such as this, if he's not available until after Pineda and probably Hill are ready, is there really that much for him to offer to a "win now" team? 

 

I like that Walker is youngish and he does seem to have plenty of upside if he can get fully healthy and down the road the Twins do need to fortify their starting rotation. I'm not sure if this is as good a fit as Walker can find right now.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

No way he can build up his innings to start.

Veterans usually aren't asked to "build up" innings gradually as much as younger prospects. Pineda went from 12 innings in 2018 (rehab) to 146 in 2019 (and would have been asked for more, had he not been suspended).

 

Walker has missed most of 2 seasons now, but other starters have done that before. Heaney and Richards for the Angels recently, etc. No guarantee Walker will stay healthy and effective for the whole season, of course, but if he's healthy enough to pitch, he won't be held back, especially if he's only on a one-year contract. (If he misses some spring training, he could start the year on a rehab assignment.)

 

Edit to add: now if he's not healthy enough to pitch, that's a different story. But that's a separate matter from "building up innings".

[Major League Ready]

 

He wants a guaranteed contract and I doubt the Twins are willing to push somebody off the 40 to give it to him. What that basically means is that I bet they give him an offer once spring training starts if he's still around. Once they put Hill on the 60 day, a spot automatically opens. Just doesn't make sense to get rid of somebody when that opening is so close.

 

I doubt they would let a 40 man spot stand in the way. If nothing else they would just drag out the official signing until Hill can be put on the IL. The big question is how long will it be before he can contribute. Go ahead and give him a guaranteed contract but get an option year or two in the process.

[SomeGuy]

 

Serious question: how's he a free agent after the season if he's a free agent now? Is it because of the clauses in his contract with Arizona?

I think the post is saying he is most likely getting a one year deal. He should be looking for a one year deal to rebuild value, prove he is healthy, etc. I believe he wants to try FA again next offseason when he is not coming off a 1 inning season or 14 innings combined over 2 seasons. He isn't guaranteed to be a free agent again next offseason but I think it is the smart choice for him and pretty likely.

 

His situation screams rebuilding team taking him for one season and trying to flip him for a prospect in July. He could join someone like the Mariners and not have much competition at all. If he is healthy and pitching okay he would probably get traded to a better team too. I could also see someone adding an attractive team option for 2021 to try to lure him but they would only pay that if he proved himself. If he proved himself he might be able to beat that option year and get a multi season contract next year.

 

His decision should center on which team offers the best opportunity to pitch but I don't think that the Twins are that team. I would be happy if he did sign but I don't see the fit. He would be joining a competition for what might be only a 1st half gig. There has to be better opportunities out there (Seattle, Baltimore, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, etc,).

[Cody Pirkl]

 

I doubt they would let a 40 man spot stand in the way. If nothing else they would just drag out the official signing until Hill can be put on the IL. The big question is how long will it be before he can contribute. Go ahead and give him a guaranteed contract but get an option year or two in the process.

He did pitch last year so I'd assume he can contribute right away. I've just heard Walker wants a guaranteed contract and that's the hold up. I'd think if the Twins like him that much they'd have made the move by now but clearly they don't think it's worth taking another guy off the 40. Walker is still a big question mark for health and performance and they know what they have with the current 40 man.

[bunsen82]

 

He did pitch last year so I'd assume he can contribute right away. I've just heard Walker wants a guaranteed contract and that's the hold up. I'd think if the Twins like him that much they'd have made the move by now but clearly they don't think it's worth taking another guy off the 40. Walker is still a big question mark for health and performance and they know what they have with the current 40 man.

I wouldn't call what he did coming back pitching.  He pitched a single inning and barely was able to get through that.  Hopefully his arm and shoulder have strengthened after the off season, but I mentioned in a previous post, if he was fully healthy he would be signed to a 1 + 1 contract.  Healthy, he has much more upside than someone like Martin Perez, when he can't even get a Martin Perez prove it deal, there are some serious concerns about the arm.  I would like for him to sign a minor league deal and see what he has, but most likely his career is effectively done. 

[bighat]

 

His decision should center on which team offers the best opportunity to pitch but I don't think that the Twins are that team. I would be happy if he did sign but I don't see the fit. He would be joining a competition for what might be only a 1st half gig. There has to be better opportunities out there (Seattle, Baltimore, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, etc,).

On the flip side, he could be part of a contender - rather than getting beat up in Detroit or KC, he could be playing AGAINST Detroit and KC. If he succeeds in whatever role the Twins are willing to give him, you could also make the argument that would be equally helpful to his career.

 

You are probably right but just playing devil's advocate because it's February!

[sweetmusicviola16]

If I understand the deal that the recently signed Chacon got from us his is an milb with a guarantee of 1.6 mil. He gets another 1.9 mil if he actually makes the team. It seems that this would be a fair deal to offer Walker as well. A small money risk for a potential high reward. 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I wouldn't call what he did coming back pitching.  He pitched a single inning and barely was able to get through that.

"Barely able to get through that single inning"? Groundout, double, flyball, strikeout. 15 pitches, 11 strikes. Seems like a normal inning to me?

 

Obviously teams want to know where he's at right now, but sometimes injuries are just timed poorly. Walker had the misfortune of having TJ surgery in April 2018, which automatically meant he was going to miss more season time than most other pitchers who had the same surgery. Then he had a setback during his rehab, which isn't unusual and kept him out longer. The fact that he returned, even for a single inning, is encouraging that the shoulder setback wasn't *too* serious.

 

Walker's actual time missed between MLB appearances was 533 days, compared to 634 days for Pineda. But because of the timing, Walker effectively missed 2 full seasons, versus only 1.5 seasons for Pineda.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

If I understand the deal that the recently signed Chacon got from us his is an milb with a guarantee of 1.6 mil. He gets another 1.9 mil if he actually makes the team. It seems that this would be a fair deal to offer Walker as well. A small money risk for a potential high reward. 

Fair for the team, but maybe not the player. Chacin just needed a job to extend his career after a poor 2019. Walker needs a place where he can get ample opportunity to re-establish himself in 2020.

 

That might wind up being a minor league deal with incentives, but it may also wind up on a team that can afford to give Walker a longer leash.

[Doctor Gast]

I agree a minor league contract w/ a promising odds of making the team. at the end of ST. MN might be a good team for him because he`ll have a lot of run support to help w/ any mistakes. Just coming off IL late last year, he won`t be pressed to pitch a lot of innings. Here at MN we only need a few innings from him to fill in. 

[PDX Twin]

The fact that he has not yet signed *could* mean that he and the Twins have essentially agreed terms and are waiting for Hill's 40-man roster spot to come open to make it formal, no?

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

The fact that he has not yet signed *could* mean that he and the Twins have essentially agreed terms and are waiting for Hill's 40-man roster spot to come open to make it formal, no?

Probably would have already leaked, if that was the case. Hill can go on the 60-day IL in a week. It took 9 days for the Donaldson deal to be official.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I agree a minor league contract w/ a promising odds of making the team. at the end of ST. MN might be a good team for him because he`ll have a lot of run support to help w/ any mistakes. Just coming off IL late last year, he won`t be pressed to pitch a lot of innings. Here at MN we only need a few innings from him to fill in. 

Walker won't be "pressed to pitch a lot of innings" anywhere he goes. But he probably wants to be able to pitch as many innings as he needs, even if he struggles, more than he wants run support (which likely won't matter when teams are evaluating him next offseason).

[Dman]

I think Walker is a perfect fit for the Mariners.  They should be able to give him a decent offer and if he performs they could net a coveted prospect or two for their system at the deadline.  I think if the Twins want him they will have to offer more than other teams would.  If he is healthy he is likely smart to wait this out until spring training as he could end up starting for some team as there will likely be injuries or greater concern about rotations as the spring wears on.

[howieramone2]

 

"Barely able to get through that single inning"? Groundout, double, flyball, strikeout. 15 pitches, 11 strikes. Seems like a normal inning to me?

 

Obviously teams want to know where he's at right now, but sometimes injuries are just timed poorly. Walker had the misfortune of having TJ surgery in April 2018, which automatically meant he was going to miss more season time than most other pitchers who had the same surgery. Then he had a setback during his rehab, which isn't unusual and kept him out longer. The fact that he returned, even for a single inning, is encouraging that the shoulder setback wasn't *too* serious.

 

Walker's actual time missed between MLB appearances was 533 days, compared to 634 days for Pineda. But because of the timing, Walker effectively missed 2 full seasons, versus only 1.5 seasons for Pineda.

You're minimizing. He pitched one inning on the last day of the season. On another site it was referred to as his farewell tour which Arizona generously granted. One inning is not encouraging when they didn't even wait to look at him in ST. Walker's injury is unique, and has nothing to do with Pineda or any other player. I would give him no more than a 1% chance of being able to provide 140-160 innings even in 2021, or whatever you so choose to call a normal starter's workload.