The New York Yankees have a couple of roads they can travel toward landing a first baseman this offseason. The Yankees’ starting 1B from 2024, Anthony Rizzo, declined the qualifying offer that the franchise extended to him this fall. Rizzo may be seeking more money in free agency, which puts the onus on New York’s front office to find a suitable replacement for him.
Yankees could go after Christian Walker or Carlos Santana for help at 1B
In briefcase No. 1, the Yankees could draft up an eight-figure deal for former Arizona Diamondbacks free agent Christian Walker. In briefcase No. 2, the Bronx Bombers could pull back ahead of the dotted lines and formulate a cost-effective contract for former Minnesota Twins free agent Carlos Santana.
It will take a Gold Glove to open either one. Both Walker and Santana were among the best defensive first basemen last season and took home 2024 Gold Glove Awards for it. Their near-identical wins above replacement metrics of 2.6 and 2.5 respectively from a season ago make them two candidates to watch closely for the potentially vacant role in the Bronx, NY.
Yankees: Walker is a reigning 3x Gold Glove Award winner to consider
At the plate, Walker was highly effective for the Diamondbacks last time around. The 33-year-old slashed .251/.335/.468 along with an .803 OPS while connecting on 26 home runs and 84 RBIs. He did miss 32 games in the year and could’ve finished closer to the 34.5 homers and 98.5 RBIs he averaged in his prior two campaigns.
Yankees could save money on veteran two-way star Santana
As for Santana, the 15-year veteran smacked 23 home runs, delivered 71 RBIs, and slashed .238/.328/.420 at the plate for the Twins last season. He was also walked 65 times, which ranked No. 11 among all American League sluggers last time out.
Empire Sports Media’s Alex Wilson projected that Walker could garner a three-year, $30 million deal in free agency. This is merited based on the one-year, $10.9 million deal he signed with the D-Backs ahead of the 2024 campaign in concert with the slight regression he experienced offensively.
Meanwhile, Wilson envisions that Santana could be had on a one-year, $6 million offer. The Dominican talent last put the pen down on a one-year, $5.25M deal with the Twins before last season commenced. His first career Gold Glove Award could add to his bargaining power at the negotiating table and lead to a raise.
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As for where the Yankees stand in all of this, the franchise’s priority is retaining superstar slugger Juan Soto in his highly-anticipated free agency, even if it costs them the $600 million-plus he’s forecasted to get in the open market. After that, they would benefit from taking on Walker if they want a player five years younger with three years of show-worthy defense to boast.
Or, they could bring on, Santana whose bat is well-respected around the league. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman will ultimately need to find a strong piece for their infield in accordance with the other roster moves they want to make ahead of 2025.
