After six full seasons as a member of his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates, second baseman Neil Walker has been dealt to the New York Mets in return for left-handed starting pitcher Jon Niese.
The trade brings to an end contentious contract-extension talks that reached back for at least two years before the possibility was reportedly eliminated by the front office.
The six-year veteran Niese brings a six-pitch arsenal, all of which carried excellent ground-ball rates in 2015, as seen below.
Groundball per BIP
Niese can technically become a free agent in 2017, as his current contract does include two team options for 2017 and 2018 carrying $10 million and $11 million figures, respectively. Each year also carries a $500k buyout.
Comments by Huntington that referenced Niese’s contract indicated that the team considers him to be locked into the three-year deal.
Niese’s career statlines are seen below.
| Year | W | L | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | IBB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | 7.07 | 3 | 14.0 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 5.13 | 2.000 | 1.38 |
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 4.21 | 5 | 25.2 | 27 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 18 | 3.25 | 1.403 | 2.00 |
| 2010 | 9 | 10 | 4.20 | 30 | 173.2 | 192 | 97 | 81 | 20 | 62 | 3 | 148 | 4.10 | 1.463 | 2.39 |
| 2011 | 11 | 11 | 4.40 | 26 | 157.1 | 178 | 88 | 77 | 14 | 44 | 4 | 138 | 3.36 | 1.411 | 3.14 |
| 2012 | 13 | 9 | 3.40 | 30 | 190.1 | 174 | 77 | 72 | 22 | 49 | 2 | 155 | 3.80 | 1.172 | 3.16 |
| 2013 | 8 | 8 | 3.71 | 24 | 143.0 | 158 | 68 | 59 | 10 | 48 | 1 | 105 | 3.58 | 1.441 | 2.19 |
| 2014 | 9 | 11 | 3.40 | 30 | 187.2 | 193 | 80 | 71 | 17 | 45 | 0 | 138 | 3.67 | 1.268 | 3.07 |
| 2015 | 9 | 10 | 4.13 | 29 | 176.2 | 192 | 93 | 81 | 20 | 55 | 2 | 113 | 4.41 | 1.398 | 2.05 |
| 8 Yrs | 61 | 61 | 3.91 | 177 | 1068.1 | 1134 | 526 | 464 | 106 | 320 | 12 | 826 | 3.84 | 1.361 | 2.58 |
Walker leaves behind a career .272/.338/.427 batting line. The switch-hitter had a breakout 2014, leading all major league second basemen in home runs with 23. He has been a steady value for the Pirates, as his cumulative 16.4 WAR suggests. In fact, since becoming an every day player, Walker has turned in starter-level performances in each season.
Neil Walker full career stats
| Year | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 17 | 40 | 36 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | .194 | .275 | .222 | .497 |
| 2010 | 110 | 469 | 426 | 57 | 126 | 29 | 3 | 12 | 66 | 34 | 83 | .296 | .349 | .462 | .811 |
| 2011 | 159 | 662 | 596 | 76 | 163 | 36 | 4 | 12 | 83 | 54 | 112 | .273 | .334 | .408 | .742 |
| 2012 | 129 | 530 | 472 | 62 | 132 | 27 | 0 | 14 | 69 | 47 | 104 | .280 | .342 | .426 | .768 |
| 2013 | 133 | 551 | 478 | 62 | 120 | 24 | 4 | 16 | 53 | 50 | 85 | .251 | .339 | .418 | .757 |
| 2014 | 137 | 571 | 512 | 74 | 139 | 25 | 3 | 23 | 76 | 45 | 88 | .271 | .342 | .467 | .809 |
| 2015 | 151 | 603 | 543 | 69 | 146 | 32 | 3 | 16 | 71 | 44 | 110 | .269 | .328 | .427 | .756 |
| 7 Yrs | 836 | 3426 | 3063 | 405 | 833 | 174 | 17 | 93 | 418 | 278 | 593 | .272 | .338 | .431 | .769 |
Walker’s projected $10 million salary proved to be too much for the Pirates for a player who will leave after 2016, as they flipped his salary in return for Niese’s $9 million figure. Of course, the mitigating factor here is Niese’s years of control.
Many conversations about Walker among Pittsburgh Pirates fans and observers often begins with a reminder that he is originally from the Pittsburgh area. It’s entirely fair to point out that the organization is now open to backlash from a large portion of the fanbase, although many have had time to prepare themselves for life at PNC Park without Neil Walker.
Turning back to on-the-field matters, Josh Harrison is the leading candidate to take over 2B duties, provided that Jung Ho Kang is on track for an early-season return. With the recent news that the club is interested in bringing back Sean Rodriguez in his intended “super-utility” role, the team could theoretically back-fill the position in the field quite easily.
It is an entirely different story if the Pittsburgh Pirates can replicate Neil Walker’s offensive production. If not, it will be an interesting start to the year for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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