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The New York Yankees lost Juan Soto to their crosstown rivals, the New York Mets. While Soto’s departure certainly stings, it could be viewed as a blessing in disguise as the Yankees now have the capital to sign multiple free agents, potentially building a more complete team.
New York has a glaring need at first base and the team is reportedly prioritizing Christian Walker over Pete Alonso, who is also available this offseason. However, the Yankees are not alone in their pursuit of Walker as the 11-year veteran is drawing plenty of interest. Several teams, including the Washington Nationals, have reached out to Walker, according to insider Robert Murray on X.
While Walker is nearly four years older than Alonso and will be 34 when the 2025 season begins, some consider him the top position player available in free agency with Soto now spoken for. His age is actually working in his favor as he’s expected to be more cost effective on a shorter deal than Alonso, while still providing plenty of power at a corner infield spot along with superior defense.
Walker played the last eight seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Although injuries limited him to just 130 games in 2024, he still mashed 26 home runs along with 84 RBI while racking up 2.6 WAR.
In the last three seasons with the Diamondbacks, Walker has hit 36, 33 and 26 homers, compared to 40, 46 and 34 dingers for Alonso. However, Walker also adds a high-end defensive presence, winning the Gold Glove in each of those seasons.
Will the Yankees lose a bidding war for first baseman Christian Walker?
It was originally assumed the competition to land Walker would come down to the Yankees and the Mets. But multiple teams have shown interest in the veteran. The Detroit Tigers recently popped up as potential contenders and now the Nationals are surprise suitors as well.
The Nationals have missed the playoffs in each of the last five seasons since winning the World Series in 2019. Washington has back-to-back 71-91 seasons and hasn’t had a winning record since the championship campaign. However, the Nationals won the first overall pick in the 2025 draft lottery and the team could be looking to add a veteran presence in the locker room, making Walker an unexpected but solid fit.
After missing out on Soto, the Yankees landed starting pitcher Max Fried, inking the lefty to a massive eight-year, $218 million deal. New York is also in hot pursuit of third baseman Alex Bregman.
If the Yankees can bolster their starting rotation while also adding Bregman and Walker to their corner infield spots, the team would appear to be in good shape despite losing its second-best player.
Still, it’s unclear if the Yankees will be able to sign Walker. With multiple teams showing interest a bidding war could develop, diminishing Walker's value, which is part of what makes him such an attractive option for New York in the first place.
