Baltimore Orioles: Three Recently Non-Tendered Pitching Targets

A rebuilding club like the Baltimore Orioles seems like the best fit for Taijuan Walker.

Taijuan Walker hasn’t pitched a full season in the big leagues since 2017, but the former Seattle Mariner and Arizona Diamondback put up above-average numbers in each of his three full seasons in the majors and should find himself the healthiest he has been since his 2.5 fWAR season in ’17.

After making just three starts in 2018, Walker underwent Tommy John surgery that kept him out for the remainder of the season, along with nearly all of 2019, minus one inning of work to close out the year.

Walker is sure to be on an innings limit in 2020, but if he can regain his 2015-2017 form, Walker could provide valuable innings for the Baltimore Orioles and maybe even command a suitor at the trade deadline.

In his career, Walker is 31-31 with a 3.95 ERA, averages more than eight strikeouts/9 IP, saw his groundball rate rise and ERA drop each season from ’15-’17. His breakout 2017 season culminated a career-high 8.35 K/9 IP mark, a 49% groundball rate, and a 3.49 ERA across 157 innings.

There’s a lot of risk associated with signing Walker after numerous elbow injuries, but the potential upside is worth the risk.