New York Mets to acquire Neil Walker from Pittsburgh Pirates
The New York Mets have struck a deal to acquire second baseman Neil Walker from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for starting pitcher Jon Niese. The agreement was first reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
The Mets ardently pursued Ben Zobrist to fill their second base vacancy, but after he elected to join the Cubs instead last night, it appears Walker was New York’s backup plan.
The 30-year-old Walker has been a productive player for the Pirates over the past several seasons, owning a career .272/.338/.431 slash line and posting an OPS+ over 100 in each of the last six years.
In 2015 he slashed .269/.328/.427 with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs, numbers more or less in line with his career averages (although he did belt a career-high 23 homers in 2014, seven more than his next best single-season total).
Walker isn’t the most skilled defender, however, and traditionally struggles against lefties (.656 OPS vs. LHP, .801 OPS vs. RHP), meaning the Mets may try to mix-and-match with their other infielders. Walker is in his third year of arbitration and is eligible to become a free agent after the 2016 season.
Niese struggled at times during the 2015 campaign, finishing with a 4.13 ERA (4.41 FIP), 1.40 WHIP and 2.05 K/BB ratio over 176.2 innings. His season was derailed by a poor final two months in which he posted a 5.20 ERA.
The 29-year-old southpaw doesn’t have the highest ceiling as a hurler (he’s cracked 100 ERA+ just twice in his career), but he’s been fairly solid and consistent for the Mets through the years. Since getting a full-time role in 2010, Niese sports an overall 3.86 ERA.
As Sherman notes, the Pirates have a knack for getting the most out of veteran starters (see A.J. Burnett) and also have an affinity for groundball pitchers. Niese fits the bill quite nicely. He is signed through 2017 with a team option for the following season.
It’s also worth recognizing that the addition of Walker just about puts to rest any chances of a Mets reunion with Daniel Murphy, although that always seemed like a longshot.
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On the other hand, if you’re wondering how the Mets might address the departure of Niese from their pitching staff: CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports they are working to bring back the lovable ageless wonder known as Bartolo Colon.