A Phillies-Blue Jays trade to replace Taijaun Walker once and for all

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker is one of the only looming issues on a team that enters action on Monday with a 41-19 record, good for best in the National League. Walker was on the mound Sunday night when the Phillies lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, and was removed to a chorus of boos.

Walker infamously called out manager Rob Thomson on social media when he was left out of the postseason rotation last fall. Walker is also owed $54 million over the next three seasons, so there is some pressure on both him and the organization to make this right.

"I haven't (spoken to him). I'll call him at some point," Thomson said at the time. "People get emotional. He's a competitive guy. I love Taijuan, I really do. This guy gave us 15 wins. Every time he goes out to the mound, he competes until we take him out and then he never wants to come out. I want a guy like that. That type of thing doesn't bother me. I love him, I love his demeanor, I love his toughness. I'm sure everything will be fine."

After Walker's start on Sunday, he has an ERA of 5.73, as he gave upn four runs in five innings of work against St. Louis.

Could the Philadelphia Phillies replace Taijuan Walker in a trade with the Blue Jays?

The most likely solution if Walker continues to struggle would be to replace him with Spencer Turnbull, a high-usage relief pitcher who has a no-hitter on his resume. Turnbull has been great for the Phillies so far this season, with a 2.64 ERA over 44-plus innings.

However, if the Phillies went outside the organization to replace Walker, they should call the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays don't want to sell any of their high-priority stars, such as Bo Bichette or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. What they can offer is starting pitching in Taijuan Walker. Here is what a trade might look like.

In this two-for-one swap, the Blue Jays receive two players who should be near MLB-ready. Rincones Jr. is the seventh-ranked prospect in the Phillies system and is currently raking in Double-A Reading. He should aid the Blue Jays outfield depth in the near future. Klassen is in his early 20's in Single-A, so he likely needs some reps in the upper levels of Toronto's system before he can make a big-league cameo.

Kikuchi is a rental, and can enter free agency after the season. He's making $10 million in 2024, and has a 3.66 ERA through 12 starts in Toronto this season.