The onset of Spring Training is usually a source of hope and renewal, but for one Phillie it may be a sense of foreboding.

It’s no secret that Taijuan Walker struggled in 2024. The 32-year-old right hander appeared in 19 games and pitched to the tune of a 7.10 ERA and posted -1.1 fWAR. That ERA was the worst among all pitchers with at least 80 innings pitched and that fWAR was second worst. Couple that with his lengthy injury stints due to blister problems and the Phillies acquisition of Jesús Luzardo, it’s not hard to see that Walker’s spot on the Opening Day roster is far from guaranteed. That is despite still being owed $36M over the next two seasons.

To Walker’s credit, he knows that he has a lot to prove and has left no stone unturned in trying to recapture the edge on his stuff. But the Phillies and Dave Dombroski have almost assuredly been aggressively shopping Walker, desperately hoping to find a taker to no avail. It’s hard to fault any other team for balking at the possibility of acquiring Walker, as he has long shown that he isn’t worth the money he was paid and now carries injury risk. The Phillies have also likely had internal discussions about whether to just outright release Walker and eat the money he’s owed.

Here’s where the situation gets awkward this spring. Walker is fighting to find a spot on the Opening Day roster, but it’s difficult to see where that possible spot even is. With Luzardo in the fold, Walker is no higher than starting pitcher 6. When Andrew Painter is ready to debut in the summer, Walker would be no better than 7th on the depth chart if he is still on the team. As for the bullpen, the Phillies already have seven spots locked up, with one of those being newly signed swingman Joe Ross.

The Phillies could carry another reliever, but with the presence of Ross it’s hard to see why they’d want to carry another long-man type. And even if they did, it’s hard to make a case that keeping Walker over the likes of Tyler Phillips, Max Lazar, or Michael Mercado would be worth it. Is it worth keeping Walker’s spot on the 40-man roster, let alone on the 26-man MLB roster, over a player that may offer more upside? Pitching depth is great, but do you really want to pay your 7th or 8th best starting pitcher $18M a season?

That said, the Phillies would very much like to see Walker pitch well this spring. That would mean that maybe they find a taker in a trade. It’s a situation where the player needs to compete for a spot that doesn’t really exist, and the team wants him to succeed but not to help them but so he can find a new team. Both Walker and the team know that he doesn’t have a spot on the roster, but both want him to play well enough to earn one for different reasons.