New York Mets News: Neil Walker Avoids Arbitration With New Deal
New York Mets News: The Mets were able to avoid arbitration with their new second baseman Neil Walker, agreeing to a one-year deal.
The New York Mets were able to address a lot of areas in the offseason, greatly upgrading their roster to try and get back to the World Series after making a surprise run there in 2015. One of the positions the Mets needed help at was second base, as they saw long time second baseman Daniel Murphy leave as a free agent, signing with NL East division rival Washington Nationals.
The Mets did a great job replacing him, as they were able to land Neil Walker in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, sending Jon Niese to the Steel City. A reason that the Pirates were so willing to move their hometown product was because of the raise he was due this offseason in his last year of arbitration eligibility.
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Cashing in is exactly what he aimed to do, as Walker filed for a salary of $11.8 million for the 2016 season. The Mets countered by filing for a salary of $9.4 million. Both numbers would have been a nice jump from the $8 million that he earned in 2015 from the Pirates.
While he will not get either of those numbers, Walker will still see a sold increase in his salary for 2016 as he and the Mets agreed to a one-year contract worth $10.55 million to avoid arbitration according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
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The $10.55 million is just shy of the midpoint of the numbers exchanged between Walker and the Mets, just off of what MLBTradeRumors.com had projected he would earn in arbitration; they projected Walker at $10.7 million.
While that is a steep price, it just goes to show that the Mets are going for it this season. After spending so many offseasons spending like a small market team, the Mets opened up the check book this offseason, as Walker was just one of the many signings the Mets made. He is also one of two players that were handed a salary in double-digit millions by the Mets this offseason, with Yoenis Cespedes being the other.
Walker is one of the better offensive second baseman in the league, as he has a career slash line of .272/.338/.431. He has at least 12 home runs in every season of his career and averages 69.6 RBI per season. He will not only provide more consistent production at the plate than the departing Murphy, he is also a superior defender.
No one will ever confuse Walker for a Gold Glove caliber defender, but he has a solid glove; something Mets fans will be happy to see after the happy-go-lucky Murphy made numerous boneheaded plays at second base, sometimes even on the most routine of plays.
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Walker will be a free agent after the 2016 season and should have plenty of chances to showcase his talents for a big contract as the Mets are set up to be one of the strongest teams not only the National League but major leagues overall.