Mets agree to deal with Taijuan Walker

The Mets have agreed to a deal with Taijuan Walker, reports SNY's Andy Martino.

Martino first reported Wednesday afternoon that the Mets had "serious interest" in adding Walker.

Walker, 28, split the 2020 season as a member of Seattle and Toronto. The Mariners traded Walker in an Aug. 27 trade with the Blue Jays for a player to be named later and cash considerations.

Starting 11 games (five Seattle, six Toronto), Walker went 4-3 with a 2.70 ERA, yielding 23 runs (16 earned) on 43 hits (eight home runs) while striking out 50 and walking 19 in 53 1/3 innings pitched.

Walker initially played for the Mariners, coming up as a first-round pick at No. 43 overall in the 2010 MLB Draft and enjoying a three-plus-year stint with Seattle. In 65 games (62 starts) over 357 innings pitched, Walker went 22-22 with a 4.18 ERA and 1.213 WHIP through the 2013-16 seasons.

The Mariners traded Walker and 2B Ketel Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a Nov. 23, 2016, deal that returned a trio of players -- SS/2B Jean Segura, OF Mitch Haniger and LHP Zac Curtis.

With the Diamondbacks, Walker posted just one full season in 2017, going 9-9 over 28 starts and 171 1/3 innings and pitching to a 3.49 ERA. Three starts into 2018, he underwent Tommy John surgery after a partial tear of the UCL in his right elbow. Walker returned in 2019, the last game of Arizona's season, before getting non-tendered and hitting free agency Dec. 2.