$769.5m player not spotted in Yankees day one pre-season training video amid reports he is close to…
The New York Yankees could look to find a first baseman if they’re not confident in Ben Rice’s defensive skills, as while he’s impressed with the bat, they could be aggressive for a bat. Christian Walker of the Arizona Diamondbacks is one of the best players at his position, and while the reigning NL Champions aren’t completely out of the pennant race, they could fall out of it soon. Two games under .500 as of today, Arizona sits 2.5 games out of a playoff spot and they still haven’t hit their stride yet.
A free agent at the end of the 2024 season, could the Yankees swing a trade for one of the best defensive infielders in the game?
This has been another excellent season for Christian Walker, who is one of the best two-way players in the game thanks to his powerful bat and strong glove. So far on the season, he has a .256 average and .472 SLG%, totaling a 124 wRC+ and having 17 home runs at the halfway point of the season. Last season, the 33-year-old first baseman hit 33 home runs with +12 Outs Above Average, winning his second-straight Gold Glove.
He’s established himself as the best defensive first baseman in baseball by far, leading in Defensive Runs Saved (+31) and Outs Above Average (+33) since the start of the 2022 season. Nobody comes close to his defensive value at the position, and that makes him an incredibly valuable player for a team that has a lot of contact pitchers. Clay Holmes is their closer and he relies heavily on the groundball, so bringing in Walker could help not only on plays right to him, but also making tough scoops to bail out an infielder making an errant throw.
