Yankees Potential Free Agent Target: Christian Walker

When you think of some of the most prodigious sluggers not only in Yankee but MLB history, first base is one of the first positions that comes to mind. However, the Yankees have been searching for a cornerstone first baseman since Mark Teixeira injured his wrist at the 2013 World Baseball Classic . The most damning statistic in that regard from the 2024 season: DJ LeMahieu was the last Yankees first baseman to hit a home run, all the way back on July 31st against the Phillies . Every other major league team had a first baseman hit a home run between that date and the end of the regular season.

This simply cannot continue, and with Anthony Rizzo's days in pinstripes likely over, New York is in need of a first baseman and Christian Walker is the second-most coveted name on the market at that position after Pete Alonso.

Previous Contract: Earned $10.9 million in third and final year of arbitration eligibility.

Walker was slow to establish himself as a major league regular, appearing in just 61 games across his first four big league seasons with the Orioles and Diamondbacks . Walker finally grabbed the starter role in 2019 and has been the incumbent ever since, carving out his spot as one of the top-ten first basemen in baseball in the interceding years, placing himself in the same conversations as the Paul Goldschmidts and Matt Olsons of the world. Below is where he has placed among qualified first basement since the start of 2019.

For what it's worth, some of the projection systems expect this consistency to continue in 2025. Walker has averaged 32 home runs and a 119 wRC+ per year across the last three seasons and that's exactly where FanGraphs' Depth Charts expects him to land — 32 home runs and a 119 wRC+. He generally runs a walk rate close to ten percent and strikeout rates in the low-20s. The power numbers definitely picked up during those last three seasons, Walker routinely placing in the top 20 percent of the league in barrel rate and maximum exit velocity and sporting a 75 mph bat speed that's good for the 89th percentile despite having just completed his age-33 season.

For as consistent as he has been on offense, it's on defense where Walker really shines. Walker has established himself as the preeminent defender at first base in the game. His 58 Statcast Outs Above Average since the start of 2019 is almost triple that of second place finisher Carlos Santana.

All of this being said, there are some red flags that should give the Yankees pause when considering their first base plans. Walker served two separate stints on the IL with a right oblique injury in 2021 — a season which ended up as his worst campaign after becoming an everyday starter and the only one below average with the bat during that time frame. He then missed a month in 2024 with the same injury as oblique issues can be tricky things to shake after injuring them for the first time.

There's also the issue of his age. Walker is entering his age-34 season and the Yankees are already paying the 36-year-old DJ LeMahieu $15 million a year for the next two seasons and we've seen how underwater that deal has been since the start of LeMahieu's own age-34 season. What's more, after crushing fastballs to put up career power numbers in 2022 and 2023, Walker's production against higher velocity pitches plummeted in 2024. This paints a picture of a first baseman whose value is increasingly dependent on preserving Gold Glove caliber defense into his mid-30s — something they just went through with Anthony Rizzo and are hopefully keen to avoid repeating the same mistake.