The Pittsburgh Pirates continued their offensive retooling Wednesday, sending longtime second baseman Neil Walker to the New York Mets in exchange for pitcher Jon Niese.
The Mets would announce the news on Twitter.
Walker, 30, hit .269/.328/.427 with 16 home runs and 70 RBI in 2015. A Pittsburgh native, he has spent his entire career in the Pirates organization after being taken in the first round in 2004. He’s been in the Major League club since being a September call-up in 2009.
Pittsburgh-based writer Dejan Kovacevic put the move in perspective:
While it’ll be an adjustment for Walker and Pirates fans, his exit has been in the making since the offseason began. Rumors were floated last month about discussions Pittsburgh had with the Baltimore Orioles about Walker, though nothing came to fruition.
Pittsburgh is in the midst of making more moves aimed at the future, particularly with everyday players. The team already non-tendered first baseman Pedro Alvarez, and could make a few more moves this winter to bolster their roster over the next few years. Alvarez and Walker both would have been free agents after next season had they not been let go.
Niese, 29, went 9-10 with a 4.13 ERA and 1.40 WHIP last season. A seventh-round pick of the Mets in 2005, Niese has been with the club ever since. He’s posted a 61-61 record overall while playing in parts of eight seasons, accruing seven years of service time.
The Pirates will hold club options on Niese for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, valued at $10 million and $11 million, respectively. The flexibility was likely what made Niese appealing to a small market like Pittsburgh. If returns to his previous form—he’d been a two-win player each of the last four years, per FanGraphs—he becomes a bargain in today’s market. If he falters, the Pirates can merely decline his 2017 option and save themselves a ton of money.
Walker will instantly become the Mets’ starting second baseman, and his acquisition should spell the end of Daniel Murphy’s time in New York. Murphy is currently a free agent but is expected to command a big deal after breaking out as perhaps the postseason’s biggest star while leading the Mets to a National League championship.
The Mets understandably took a look at Murphy’s market and decided a one-year rental on Walker, who is roughly on Murphy’s level, was a better investment.
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