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has been a popular target in free agency thus far in the offseason, Xavier Tillman Jersey drawing interest not only from the incumbent but also the , , and , among other clubs. that interested teams have been unwilling to extend their offers beyond three years but that Walkers camp would love to get a fourth year. Widespread interest in Walker is only logical. Hes been among the most underrated players in the sport for several seasons. The 33-year-old sluggers .251/.335/.468 slash from 2024 is a near mirror image of the broader .253/.332/.464 line he carries in nearly 3200 plate appearances dating back to 2019. At the time, it wouldve seemed utterly nonsensical to think that the Diamondbacks would be able to succe sfully replace perennial All-Star with a journeyman waiver claim, but and has been rewarded handsomely. Not only has Walker been consistently productive at the plate 13% better than average overall, including 20% better over the past three seasons hes emerged as one of the games best defenders at his position. Walker has won three straight Gold Gloves for his work at first base. Walkers 33 Defensive Runs Saved over the past three seasons lead all big league first baseman by a wide margin. is second, at 27. Statcast is even more bullish, crediting Walker with 39 Outs Above Average nearly double that of second-ranked (20). Hes made only eight errors since 2022. Quietly excellent as Walker has been, however, a four-year deal is a lofty ask when considering his age. Hell turn 34 in March. , only four position players in the past decade have secured a four-year deal beginning in their age-34 season or later: (four years, $92MM with the Twins), (four years, $56MM with the Cubs), (four years, $57MM with the Mariners) and (four years, $68MM with the Tigers. Donaldsons deal, now almost five years old, is the most recent of the bunch. Of the four, only Cruzs contract played out well. Suffice it to say, four years would break any recent precedent for a position player of this age. Speculatively speaking, he could go the route some other veterans have in the past to secure the additional years they seek on longer-term deals: throw in (in this instance) the fourth year at a discounted rate. General expectations for Walker have been that hell command something in the vicinity of $20MM per year. If he were to tack on a fourth year at, say, $8-10MM, thatd get him his fourth season and also lower the luxury-tax hit for the signing club. For many of Walkers reported suitors, that wont be a factor, as theyre not CBT payors anyhow. For a team like the Yankees or Astros, it could prove significant. Walkers asking price is likely one of the reasons that the Yankees appear increasingly likely to go with a more inexpensive option at first base, . The others include the qualifying offer thatd cost them an additional two draft picks (after already punting two for ) and the plethora of options available on the free agent market (Santana, , Goldschmidt) and trade market ( , , ). Justin Holiday Jersey
