With the 2024 baseball season officially in the books, teams have turned their attention to free agency. This year’s free agent class is deep and talented but All-Star right fielder Juan Soto is undoubtedly the headliner. Looking beyond Soto and the massive contract he’ll eventually sign, there’s a great deal of interest in Christian Walker, who spent the last eight seasons as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Walker is the hottest name in the free agent class (non Soto category), according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. At least six teams plan to make a serious run at the veteran first baseman, including the Diamondbacks, the New York Yankees and the New York Mets.
Walker is an attractive option to many teams as he provides consistent power at a corner infield spot and it’s thought that he’ll be far more cost effective than fellow free agent first baseman Pete Alonso. Walker is a few years older and doesn’t quite have Alonso’s gaudy power stats. But he has hit 36, 33 and 26 home runs over the last three seasons for the Diamondbacks and won the Gold Glove each of those years.
Diamondbacks’ first baseman Christian Walker is an intriguing free agent target
Walker was sidelined for over a month with an oblique strain in 2024 as the Diamondbacks were unable to duplicate the success they had the previous season, when they reached the World Series. This year, Arizona couldn't keep pace with their NL West rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres as the team missed the playoffs.
While the Diamondbacks would like to re-sign the 11-year veteran, it could come down to a bidding war between the Yankees and the Mets. However, New York’s baseball teams’ top priority remains signing Soto. Although it’s assumed that the Soto sweepstakes will also be a battle between the Yankees and the Mets, other teams will attempt to woo the former batting champ. The Toronto Blue Jays are thought to have serious interest in landing the four-time All-Star.
Ultimately, Soto could receive an offer around $700 million, matching the head-spinning contract Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the 2024 season. Mets’ owner Steve Cohen is set to meet with Soto next week as the quest to acquire the best player available begins.
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