Mets free agent decision on former All-Star continues to age like Clooney

After the glorious year that was the 2022 New York Mets season, the team had a whole lot of free agent decisions to make in the offseason. Headlining the decisions was lifelong Mets ace Jacob deGrom. Blown away by an offer from the Texas Rangers, the Mets let him slither away.

He was hardly the lone Mets player to depart from the 2022 roster. Joining Zack Wheeler in Philadelphia was Taijuan Walker. An All-Star in 2021 with the Mets and an even better pitcher for them in year two when he was 12-5 with a 3.49 ERA in 157.1 innings, Walker received a ridiculous four-year $72 million deal from the Phillies.

Good run support helped him win 15 games in 2023 but a 4.38 ERA that nearly matched the 4.47 he posted in 2021 with the Mets had many second-guessing how good he’d be. The word “good” doesn’t do much to describe Walker who turned in another poor start for the Phillies in their 10-0 loss against the Houston Astros on Wednesday. He allowed 6 earned runs on 13 hits while not striking out a single batter in his 6 innings.

Letting Taijuan Walker leave is one of the best recent Mets free agent decisions

The Mets were never going to pay Walker $72 million. Maybe not even over 72 years. They had other plans for the 2023 season. Signing Justin Verlander to replace deGrom was one. Bringing Kodai Senga across the Pacific was another. And still a third free agent decision, the signing of Jose Quintana, helped the Mets replace everyone they lost, including Walker.

Quintana has been difficult to watch at times for the Mets this year. It doesn’t compare to Walker whose latest performance has lifted his ERA up to 6.50 on the year. Batters are hitting .310 against him. In 14 starts, he has given up 18 home runs.

The Phillies have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball this year with Walker being the exception. The scary thing is, his 2022 season isn’t much different than what Luis Severino has offered them. His ERA was even slightly lower than what Sean Manaea’s is at right now.

What if the Phillies never foolishly came around in an attempt to recreate their success with Wheeler? On the verge of getting moved to the bullpen or maybe even cut before his contract is over, let the decision to let Walker walk away serve as a reminder of how scary a long-term deal with any starting pitcher can be.