Neil Walker accepts qualifying offer from Mets

Neil Walker has accepted the qualifying offer to return to the Mets for the 2017 season. The offer was for one year and is worth $17.2M.

Neil Walker will be back at second base for the New York Mets in 2017. According to CBS Sports, Walker accepted the Mets one-year, $17.2M qualifying offer. Mets’ fans should be happy to have him back and he is happy to be back.

Walker hit .282 last season to go along with 55 RBI. He tied a career high with 23 HRs as well. When the Mets traded for Walker, they immediately got better defensively up the middle. Walker and Cabrera did a great job for them throughout the entire season.

In the beginning of September, Walker was diagnosed with a herniated disk in his lower back causing him to miss the rest of the season. One can tell by his tweet that he was not happy with that and is determined to help the Mets win a championship.

So, what does Walker being back mean for the Mets? It means that they have their infield set with Cabrera at shortstop, Walker at second and Reyes at third. If the Mets want to compete, Reyes must play third over David Wright. This also gives the Mets depth on the bench with TJ Rivera and Wilmer Flores. First base is still a mystery but they are currently weighing all of the options.

Lucas Duda is still under contract for this season so it looks like he will be manning first base. The Mets have talked to Michael Conforto about possibly learning to play first and it is unlikely but let’s remember that Edwin Encarnacion is still a free agent. The Mets will need a power bat if they do not bring back Yoenis Cespedes.

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So, while the Mets still have a lot of holes on their team, they are in a good position to make the playoffs again next season. They can be carried by their great pitching and bringing Walker back does a lot for this team offensively and defensively.