Taijuan Walker is the newest member of the Mets’ starting rotation, and he celebrated his new contract in a very fitting fashion on Friday evening.
Walker, who agreed to a two-year deal with an option for 2023 earlier on Friday per SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino, tweeted out a photo of a bottle of wine from Seaver Vinyards, which of course, was founded by the late Mets legend Tom Seaver and his wife, Nancy.
— Taijuan Walker (@tai_walker) February 20, 2021
Walker’s deal has not yet been made official and is still pending a physical, but the right-hander’s addition could be a huge boost to an already strong Mets’ rotation.
"If it goes down, if it's a done deal, it'll be great to have a guy like Walker in the rotation," Luis Rojas said earlier on Friday. "He turns the rotation into a deep rotation.”
“I can say about Taijuan just looking at the history and his season last year, everything that he can bring to a team is pretty outstanding," Rojas added. "You talk about talent plus experience. Around the league, players that have been in the same clubhouse with him, we heard about some leadership in there as well.
"It can be a great addition. It's a guy that can definitely help us in the rotation and can be a great asset."
The 28-year-old Walker has played with the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays over the course of his eight-year career, pitching to a 3.84 ERA and 1.246 WHIP. His 2020 season may have been his best as a pro, as he posted a 2.70 ERA in 11 starts, including a 1.37 ERA in his six starts following his trade to the Blue Jays.
Walker could have a huge impact for the Mets’ rotation, but if one thing’s for certain, it’s that he’s already off to a great start before his contract has even been made official, thanks to his nod to The Franchise.
