“At least six teams...
plan to aggressively pursue” free agent first baseman Christian Walker , USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes, adding that the Yankees, Nationals, and Diamondbacks are some of the teams involved in the hunt. The Mets are mentioned as perhaps more of a peripheral suitor, as Nightengale speculates that the Mets could chase Walker if Pete Alonso isn’t re-signed. Ranked 13th on MLBTR’s list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents , Walker is projected for a three-year, $60M deal, with the shorter-term nature of that contract reflecting the fact that Walker will be 34 on Opening Day.
Even as he gets deeper into his 30’s, however, Walker hasn’t shown much sign of slowing down. Over the last three seasons, the first baseman has hit .250/.
332/.481 with 95 home runs over 1880 plate appearances with Arizona, which works out to a solid 120 wRC+. On top of that offense comes standout defense, as Walker has won the last three NL Gold Gloves and Fielding Bible awards in 2022-23 for his superb work at first base.
Because Walker will likely be getting a relatively short contract, any number of teams could conceivably be in the market for his services beyond just the usual big spenders. This could help the Diamondbacks (who have roughly $157.5M already on the books for 2025) stay in the bidding, and one would imagine Arizona might have some extra advantage since Walker has stated that he has enjoyed his time with the D’Backs.
Since Walker was issued a quali.
