Jays Journal
FanSided

Toronto Blue Jays pending UFA’s: Re-sign or pass

By Reuben Gasee

TORONTO, CANADA - DECEMBER 4: President Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins pose for a photo after speaking to the media as Atkins is introduced as the new general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays during a press conference on December 4, 2015 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - DECEMBER 4: President Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins pose for a photo after speaking to the media as Atkins is introduced as the new general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays during a press conference on December 4, 2015 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 8
Next
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 20: Taijuan Walker #0 of the Toronto Blue Jays throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on September 20, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Blue Jays defeated the Phillies 6-3. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 20: Taijuan Walker #0 of the Toronto Blue Jays throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on September 20, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Blue Jays defeated the Phillies 6-3. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Taijuan Walker

No one expected the Jays to acquire Taijuan Walker but yet, they did. The move turned out to pay huge dividends as he did really well with the Blue Jays.

Before they acquired him, he was pitching to a 4.00 E.R.A. with an opponent average of .210 with the Seattle Mariners.

He did even better with Canada’s team despite playing the season in Buffalo. With the Blue Jays, he made six starts going 2-1 with a 1.37 E.R.A. and an opponent average of .218.

On the season as a whole, he went 4-3 with a 2.70 E.R.A. with an opponent average of .214 in 53.1 innings.

While it was a good season for Walker, it was even more important for him that he stayed healthy as this was the first time since 2017 that he was on the active roster for the full duration. It works to his benefit that this occurred in a contract year.

So, should the Blue Jays re-sign or pass on Walker?

Verdict: Re-sign 

Walker did really well with the Blue Jays albeit in a very short sample size. As the Blue Jays are looking for rotation help, Walker would be a nice piece to put in the middle or back end of the starting five.

Re-signing Walker would come with risk though. He has a bit of an injury history and while he did good over 11 starts, there’s no guarantee he’d be able to do the same over a full starter’s workload which is usually 28-32 games started.

dark. Next. Why Charlie Montoyo deserves to win Manager of the Year

With his injury history, there’s no way Walker will accept a one-year deal especially with how he did in a Jays uniform. He will be seeking a multi-year deal and that’s what it will take to keep him with the Jays. Perhaps something like a three-year, $30 million dollar contract would work.

Home/Toronto Blue Jays News