The Taijuan Walker reclamation project has been fun, and interesting, and exciting, and uplifting, and a lot of things. But all good things must end. Wednesday’s start against the Padres will likely be the last time Walker dons the maritime insignia in 2020.
Let’s face it, when Jerry Dipoto signed Walker to a 1-year, $2 million deal in February, the best-case scenario, at least in the eyes of the front office, was to fix and him flip him for profit. There is no team option for 2021, and the chances he re-signs with the Mariners this winter are fairly slim considering the arms burgeoning on the big league club right now.