The ideal Taijuan Walker replacement is staring the Phillies right in the face

When the Philadelphia Phillies gave Taijuan Walker a four-year deal worth $72 million ahead of the 2023 campaign, they expected the right-hander to be a key member of their starting rotation. Unfortunately, that has not happened in the slightest.

Walker's first year in Philadelphia was a rocky one, and his second season took a turn in the wrong direction. The right-hander posted a 7.10 ERA in 19 appearances (15 starts) and was left off of Philadelphia's postseason roster. Despite the Phillies finishing with the second-best record in all of baseball, they went just 6-13 in games Walker appeared in and 4-11 in games he started.

Walker proved that the Phillies simply cannot trust him in their rotation. He might not get released given the fact that he still has half of his contract remaining, but Walker should not be handed a rotation spot without proving that he has improved significantly. Fortunately for Philadelphia, they don't have to look far when it comes to finding an ideal Walker replacement.

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Andrew Painter is looking more like the ideal Phillies Taijuan Walker replacement

It's easy to forget Andrew Painter because he underwent Tommy John Surgery in 2023, but he is one of the very best pitching prospects in the game. In fact, he looked primed to help the Phillies sometime in 2024 had he not gone down with that injury.

Fortunately, Painter is healthy now, and he's proving that in the Arizona Fall League.

A ten-inning sample size is obviously microscopic, but given the competition Painter is facing, the fact that he has looked as sharp as he has is huge. His fastball routinely hitting 99-100 mph is awesome to see as well. Painter has an extremely high ceiling and is considered the No. 32 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, despite his major injury.

Will Painter be ready on Opening Day? Maybe not, but given just how good he's looked throughout his minor league career and in the Arizona Fall League, it wouldn't be surprising to see him up in the majors in May or June. Relying on an unproven prospect always has some concern, but when the player he'd be replacing is Walker and with the team having arguably the best rotation in baseball surrounding him, the Phillies shouldn't think twice about this. His upside is too high to overlook, and the fact that he's in the organization makes it a slam dunk.