RADIO
The New York Mets acquired Neil Walker from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Jon Niese, according to The New York Post.
The deal is reported as a player-for-player swap with no picks or cash involved. This was the Mets quick response after losing out on free agent Ben Zobrist Tuesday to the Chicago Cubs. Walker will be a free agent after this season while Niese is owed $30 million over the next three seasons.
Confirmed Walker to #Mets pending medical review, small other matters
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 9, 2015
Walker won the Silver Slugger award for second base in the National League when he had a .271/.342/.467 batting line with a career-high 23 HR with 76 RBI. The 30-year-old followed the season with a .269/.328/.427 batting line with 16 HR and 71 RBI in 14 more games than the year he won the award. This will be his eighth MLB season and his first without being in Pittsburgh.
Niese will likely be a back-end starter in the Pirates rotation. The left-hander has showed at times that he could pitch at a quality level but his problem has been consistency. The 29-year-old had a 4.13 ERA over 29 starts and four bullpen appearances this past season after a career-best 3.40 ERA in 2014. Pitcher tend to revitalize their careers in Pittsburgh. This could be a great fit for Niese.
