Potential Seattle Mariners Free Agent Target Christian Walker Hits The Market
Most teams who extended qualifying offers did not receive good news on Tuesday.
Per a report from MLB insider Mark Feinsand, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Martinez was the lone player who accepted the uniform one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer extended to him.
That means that many top-tier players will be hitting the open market, including several potential targets for the Seattle Mariners. It also means that those teams will receive compensatory 2025 draft picks if those players are signed away.
Among those players is Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker.
The three-time Gold Glove winner is officially on the open market for the first time since he originally signed with the Diamondbacks back in the pre-2017 offseason.
And for the first time since March of 2017, Christian Walker is officially an unrestricted free agent.
— Arizona Diamondbacks | Stats & Info (@DbacksStatsInfo) November 19, 2024
Walker is t-6th in club history with a 15.3 WAR, 7th in RBI with 442 and 4th in HR with 146. https://t.co/zQ11UHFzbP
The Mariners have been listed as a possible suitor for Walker's services for most of the offseason. Walker is coming off a year where he hit .251 with 26 home runs and 84 RBIs and won his third-straight Gold Glove award.
Walker would be a fit for a Seattle team looking to find a solid pairing for Luke Raley at first base. Walker played all of 2024 at first base. But outside of that, the only other position he's played has been designated hitter. The lone exception was one game played in his career at left field.
oops, HE DID IT AGAIN
— MLB (@MLB) July 5, 2024
Christian Walker with ANOTHER homer at Dodger Stadium! pic.twitter.com/rZwiVMcPGL
Walker would be able to rotate between first base and DH seamlessly and would maintain the power profile the club currently has at first with Raley.
The issue, as is the case with other potential Mariners free agent targets, will be the cost. Walker has a market value of three years, $66.165 million ($22.1 million AAV) according to Spotrac. There's no definitive number regarding how much Seattle has available to spend, but it's been rumored to be around $20-25 million. A Walker contract would put the team right at that rumored limit.
There's also the issue of age. Despite three consecutive Gold Gloves and 25+ home run seasons, Walker will turn 34 during the 2025 season.
There's very few first base options to pair with Raley that would match his power profile that wouldn't cost a decent amount. But Walker's combination of consistency and experience might be what pushes Seattle to spend a little more than what it's accustomed to.
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