Chicago Cubs: Taijuan Walker auditions in hopes of landing a new deal

Chicago Cubs: Will Theo make a move?

Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune announced the news of Walker’s session, stating the workout “went well,” however, further comments were not made per Walker and his agent, Jim Murray. Last week, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale discussed how Walker threw in front of 20 scouts, noting Walker’s fastball sat between 85-88 miles per hour.

Walker is three years younger than Chatwood and would bring a youthful exuberance with a veteran presence to an aging rotation should Theo Epstein choose to bring him into the rotation fold. While Chatwood’s fastball carries more zip, Walker does have a beautiful slider he can utilize, which would play well at Wrigley.

Mills pitched strong in his nine appearances last season, finishing with a 2.75 ERA and a 27.6 percent strikeout rate. Alzolay displayed positives as well; however, he does not have the experience at this point. If the Cubs can secure Walker on a minor league deal, I am all in on Walker. It is just a matter now of if he showed enough for Epstein to buy into the idea.