The New York Yankees need a first baseman. Christian Walker is one of the best first basemen available and, therefore, constantly connected to the Bombers in hot-stove conversations. But he is not the answer for New York.
Walker, a late bloomer who has blossomed into a B-level star with the Arizona Diamondbacks, does have a couple of things going for him, though.
He has decent pop, hitting a career-high 36 homers in 2022, following that up with 33 in 2023, and then crushing 26 in 479 at-bats last year. Walker is also a plus defender, having won Gold Glove Awards in each of the last three years.
However, Walker’s negatives far outweigh his positives.
The 10-year MLB veteran has a ho-hum .250/.330/.463 career slash line. For context, his career OPS+ is 114, only two points higher than Gleyber Torres’ mark. In other words, he’s not a great hitter.
Walker also strikes out a bit too much. He whiffed 133 times over 130 games in 2024. That may not seem like a dealbreaker, but consider that he’d be replacing Anthony Rizzo, who struck out just 65 times in 92 contests last year.
And 33 years old (he’ll be 34 in March), Walker is too old. He’s reportedly seeking a three-year deal, which means the Bombers would be stuck with him as a 36-year-old.
While there aren’t any better options currently on the market — Pete Alonso included — the Yankees are better off passing on Walker.
Many fans would be more excited to see a youngster like Ben Rice develop than to watch Walker age. Or if 28-year-old Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto heads to the U.S., he’d be an interesting option.
