Yankees are among the teams eyeing the three-time Gold Glove winner

The New York Yankees could be on the verge of replacing Anthony Rizzo with another multi-time Gold Glover.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Thursday that the Yankees are among the teams looking to “aggressively” pursue first baseman Christian Walker in free agency this winter. Nightengale notes that at least six teams are competing against Walker, including the Yankees, New York Mets, Washington Nationals and the reigning Arizona Diamondbacks.

Walker, 33, is a three-time Gold Glover who has played for Arizona since 2017, including as a first baseman for their 2023 World Series run. The righty hitter hit .251 with 26 home runs and 84 RBI in last season 130 games (after consecutive 30+ home run seasons prior to that).

The Yankees, fresh off a World Series run of their own, now need a first baseman after recently declining their $17 million club option for 2025 on Rizzo, their first baseman since 2021. However, Walker’s combination of power and defense will make him a highly desirable player. As a free agent, we recently learned that the Yankees could be targeting an even higher upside at first base.