Yup, but they were already paying Walker, and even without Walker there wasn't a spot for Buehler once Wheeler came back. So he took the minor league deal that gave him the best path to a job. Heck, there's probably 10 other guys who would have been better for the Phillies to sign for depth instead of Walker in hindsight, but based on how Walker pitched last year - far better than Buehler overall, for instance - it was reasonable to keep him around. Such is baseball.
