The Mets have added another arm to bolster their starting rotation, signing Taijuan Walker to a two-year deal, according to multiple reports.
Walker, 28, has been linked to the Mets in recent weeks as New York continued to look for rotation depth. SNY's Andy Martino reported earlier this week that the Mets had "serious interest" in Walker, and that the two sides had begun discussions.
The deal, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, is for two years and $20 million. There is a player option for a third year, and the deal is pending a physical.
The right-hander pitched a combined 53.1 innings for the Mariners and Blue Jays in 2020, posting a 2.70 ERA with 50 strikeouts. Walker pitched just 14 innings total in 2018 and 2019 due to Tommy John surgery, but tossed at least 134 innings in each of the previous three seasons with the Diamondbacks and Mariners. In 581.2 career innings, Walker holds a 3.84 ERA, allowing 8.4 hits per nine innings, 2.8 walks per nine, and is averaging 8.2 strikeouts per nine across his eight-year career.
Walker won't blow opposing hitters away with his fastball like a Jacob deGrom, as he averages 93.2 mph on the pitch, but he did a good job of forcing soft contact in 2020, with opposing hitters recording a hard hit percentage of 32.9 percent, ranking Walker in the 74th percentile in the league, per Statcast.
Walker expects to round out a rotation led by deGrom, newcomer Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman and Noah Syndergaard when he returns from Tommy John surgery.
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