Inside The Pinstripes

Why Yankees Chose to Not Pursue Christian Walker as First Base Upgrade

The New York Yankees decision to not pursue Christian Walker came down to this one factor.
Grant Young|
Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker (53) reacts after striking out during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 of the NLCS at Citizens Bank Park on Oct. 23, 2023, in Philadelphia, PA. The Arizona Diamondbacks won Game 6 of the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-1.
Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker (53) reacts after striking out during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 of the NLCS at Citizens Bank Park on Oct. 23, 2023, in Philadelphia, PA. The Arizona Diamondbacks won Game 6 of the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-1. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

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New York YankeesSt. Louis CardinalsArizona DiamondbacksHouston AstrosNew York Mets

One of the most compelling stories heading into the New York Yankees' offseason is what they were going to do about first base.

The fact that New York's .617 OPS from first baseman during the regular season was the worst in MLB by a long shot made moving on from Anthony Rizzo an obvious choice. Of course, the Yankees have since signed former MVP Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year, $12.5 million deal, which was announced back on December 21.

Prior to the Yankees acquiring Goldschmidt, they had been linked to several prominent first baseman such as former Mets slugger Pete Alonso and Guardians standout Josh Naylor.

But perhaps the player they were linked to most was former Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker.

Walker has since signed with the Houston Astros. However, there wasn't a clear indication of why the Yankees weren't ultimately major players in signing him until ESPN's Jorge Castillo conveyed their reasoning in a January 30 article.

"At the time of the trade for Bellinger, the Yankees were still shopping for a first baseman. They never had interest in signing Pete Alonso," Castillo wrote.

"Christian Walker could have been a fit, but the Yankees decided they didn't want to pay the penalty for signing a player who was given the qualifying offer."

Since Walker rejected his qualifying offer with the Diamondbacks, that meant the Yankees would have had to forfeit two draft picks if they'd acquired him. Per a January 20 article from MLB.com's Thomas Harrigan, "A team that exceeded the CBT threshold in the preceding season will lose its second- and fifth-highest selections in the following year's Draft, as well as $1 million from its international bonus pool for the upcoming signing period."

Given that the Yankees did indeed exceed the CBT threshold (aka the luxury tax), they would have had to forfeit two of their top five picks.

That's a steep price to pay, especially when a player such as Goldschmidt — who did not receive a qualifying offer from the St. Louis Cardinals — was still available.

Read More:

- Yankees Lose Another Infield Target to Mariners

- Yankees' Rival 'Showed Interest' in New York Fan-Favorite Reliever, Per Insider

- Yankees Tried to Make a Bigger Splash at First Base Before Signing Paul Goldschmidt

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for On SI. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee. You can follow him on X: @GrvntYoung

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