Yankees’ Rizzo Successor Lands $56 Million Deal in Prediction

Getty Anthony Rizzo after a walk

The New York Yankees will have some questions to answer this winter. Among those questions include their lack of a first baseman, as the team declined Anthony Rizzo’s club option for 2025.

They’ve been linked to a few names to replace Rizzo, including Christian Walker. Outside of Pete Alonso, Walker is considered the best first baseman on the market, as he’s improved every step of the way over the past few seasons.

Despite being 34 years old, he’s in a good position to get paid well this winter. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel was the latest to predict he would, writing that Walker would land a three-year, $57 million deal.

“A right-handed-hitting first baseman who turns 34 in March, Walker is the type of player who used to be paid near the top of the market but the industry has downgraded for about a decade,” McDaniel wrote on November 5. “The unique part of Walker’s profile is that in addition to averaging 32 home runs over the past three seasons, he has also won three straight Gold Glove awards.

“So when you look at comps for his age and offensive game — Jose Abreu (three years, $58.5 million going into his age-36 season) and Edwin Encarnacion (three years, $60 million going into his age-34 season) — Walker could be rounded up because he offers considerably more defensive value.”

Yankees Urged to Sign Walker

If the New York Yankees were to lose Juan Soto in MLB free agency, signing a player of Walker’s caliber would be a must. While Soto would essentially be impossible to replace due to his age and production, the Yankees would need as many elite hitters as possible.

Walker fits that description, even if he isn’t the same player Soto is.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post urged the Yankees to sign him this winter if they lose Soto, highlighting their infield defense.

“And yet, in a Soto-free world, I think the Yankees should go for Bregman at third and the Diamondbacks’ Christian Walker at first and have two legit Gold Glovers on the corners, with Chisholm back at second and Anthony Volpe at short,” Sherman wrote on November 4. “It is suddenly a very good infield defensively — and probably offensively too if you believe Volpe is going to improve.

“I know the sexier first base name is Pete Alonso and replacing Soto that way would feel famous-name great. But over the course of a season Walker is a far better all-round player than Alonso and would help a team win more.”

Is Walker Better Than Rizzo?

When Rizzo was at the top of his game, he was one of the best first basemen in Major League Baseball. While that was a long time ago, it doesn’t take away from what he’s done in his career.

There’s a reason the New York Yankees went out and landed him in 2021.

Career-wise, Rizzo, a three-time All-Star, is a better player than Walker. However, he slashed just .228/.301/.335 with eight home runs and an 81 OPS+ in 475 at-bats for the Yankees in 2024.

Walker has played in at least 130 games over the past three seasons. This past year, he slashed .251/.335/.468 with 26 home runs, 26 doubles, and a 121 OPS+.