Report: 6 Teams To "Aggressively Pursue" Christian Walker in Free Agency

After Juan Soto, you might be surprised to hear that Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker is "the hottest name on the free agent market," according to USA Today baseball insider Bob Nightengale.

He notes that there are "at least" six teams who plan to aggressively pursue Walker, who has averaged 33 home runs over the last three seasons.

He'll be going into his age-34 season in 2025, but based on his average OPS+ of 123 since 2022, and having won the last three straight Gold Gloves at first, he'll be in for a huge bag in free agency.

Nightengale specifically names three of the teams who will be seriously pursuing Walker, outside of the incumbent D-Backs:

New York Yankees
Washington Nationals
New York Mets

For the Yankees, it makes a ton of sense, as first base is a problem area for them after the steep decline of Anthony Rizzo the past couple of years. If they aren't able to re-sign Soto, expect them to go big for either Walker or Pete Alonso to add that big power bat they'll need to pair with Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

The Mets, if they lose Alonso—whether to the Yankees or anyone else—will definitely make a big push to replace him with Walker. And when it comes to Alonso's price tag, if it soars close to or beyond the $200 million mark, they will pivot to Walker, who, because he's over three years older than Alonso, won't be able to command a contract with such lengthy term.

As for the Nats, they're ready to take the next step toward contention, and adding a big power bat and a veteran leader like Walker would be a smart way to do it.

But Walker has been a Diamondback for eight years now, and the Snakes know his value better than anyone. Expect them to be a big player in the Walker Talks as well.