Taijuan Walker vs. Joe Ross
This may not be much of a battle, as the Phillies signed Ross to a one year, $4M contract in December with plans to have him serve as a swingman, while Walker is fighting for a spot on the roster in general. Nevertheless, both pitchers would be the next man up in the event of an injury so this spring will likely determine who is SP 6. Both would have similar functions out of the bullpen, and Ross’ performance there last season puts him firmly ahead of Walker. Despite being owed $36M over the next two seasons, Walker is facing an uphill battle to make the roster, and it isn’t known whether he would accept a demotion to Triple-A.