Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Neil Walker has reportedly been traded to the New York Mets for pitcher Jon Niese, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports confirmed that Walker has been traded.
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What Walker Brings to Mets
Wednesday, Dec. 9
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Bill Brink said the Mets began to consider trading for Walker after Ben Zobrist chose to sign with the Chicago Cubs, confirming a report from Mike Puma of the New York Post.
Walker, 30, hit .269 with 16 home runs and 71 RBI in 2015, his second straight season with at least 15 homers and 70 RBI. But Walker and the Pirates have never been able to agree to a long-term extension, and with the second baseman hitting free agency in 2016, trading him may have been the most logical move for the team.
He should bring the Mets a lot of pop at the plate and could replicate the type of numbers that Daniel Murphy offered at the position last year. Murphy’s price on the market went up significantly after his epic run in the postseason, however, which always makes it questionable as to whether the team can afford to re-sign him.
Trading for Walker will certainly alleviate the need to do so, though the Mets may also hesitate to pull the trigger on that deal if they don’t feel they would be able to sign Walker to an extension.
Angels, Dodgers Were in Mix for Walker
Wednesday, Dec. 9
Bob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Post-Tribune reported the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Los Angeles Dodgers were interested in.
Nationals Expressed Interest in Walker
Wednesday, Dec. 9
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported the Washington Nationals were looking at Walker after missing out on Ben Zobrist.
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