Phillies Cut Ties with Walker, All-In on Rebuild

0:00It's April 28th, I'm Corey with The Story, and this is MLB News, today your AI-powered baseball briefing. The Phillies just dropped veteran pitcher Taiwan Walker after a rough ride on his 4-year, $72 million deal. The 33-year-old Ridey is in the final year, but his performance tanked hard, leaving Philly no choice but to cut ties and eat most of the, remaining $18 million salary. Walker started OK back in year 1, with a 4.38 earned run average over nearly 173 innings and he mixed in. Some solid relief work last season 2, but the last 2 years, straight disaster, 7.10 earned run average in 2024, and this year he's at 9.13 over just 22 innings, getting hammered with low velocity and weak strikeouts. Fans in the front office are reeling as the Phillies sit at 8 wins and 16 losses, snapping an 8-game skid by shaking up the roster. They, optioned Alan Rengale to triple A and brought up Nolan Hoffman.

1:02It's a desperate move to climb out of the hole, but that financial hit stings since any new team only pays Walker League minimum scraps. Looking ahead, Ace Zach Wheeler slides back into the rotation this weekend after thoracic outlet surgery rehab, joining Christopher Sanchez, Andrew, Painter, Aaron Nola, and Jessus Wizzardo. His minor league tune-up showed promise with strong strikeouts and ground balls, despite a 5.85 earned run average. Phillies now eat in two big contracts this year, echoing Nick Castellano's release before spring training. They're still footing most of his 20. Million 2, while he struggles with San Diego. Bold resets like these, signal the Phillies are all in on rebuilding momentum before it's too late.