Yankees turn attention to D-backs first baseman after losing out on Juan Soto
With Juan Soto now a Met, the Yankees have pivoted to Christian Walker to improve their offense.
The Juan Soto sweepstakes are over, as ESPN’s MLB Insider Jeff Passan reports the New York Mets and Juan Soto have agreed to a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million deal. This makes Soto the highest-paid player in the history of Major League Baseball in total contract value and the highest in average per season ($51 million) based on present-day value.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the New York Yankees, Soto’s former team, offered a 16-year, $760 million deal. With Soto now in Queens, Nightengale adds in the same column that they’ve now shifted their attention towards Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker. This hardly comes as a surprise, as Nightengale named the Yankees as a potential suitor for Walker last month.
The Yankees’ interest in Walker comes as no surprise, as he has been one of the better first basemen in the MLB over the past three seasons. Over that stretch, he slashed .250/.332/.481, slugged 95 home runs, drove in 281, and accumulated 11.4 WAR over 447 games. He’s also a superb defender, having won each of the last three National League Gold Glove Awards at first base. He’d replace Anthony Rizzo, who has struggled with post-concussion syndrome the last two seasons.
Walker is expected to have a fairly strong market. FanGraphs’ median crowd source on their Free Agent Tracker predicts a 3-year, $54 million contract while MLB Trade Rumors predicts a 3-year, $63 million deal. Most likely the ballpark to sign him will be in the $20 million per season for at least three years. Should Walker, who declined the qualifying offer, sign with another club, the D-backs will obtain the No. 27 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.
Michael McDermott is a Contributor to FanSided’s MLB coverage on Call to the Pen, Venom Strikes, Dodgers Way, and Friars on Base. He has been writing about the Arizona Diamondbacks, and their minor league system, for 9 seasons for AZ Snake Pit, Diamondbacks on SI, and Burn City Sports.