Neil Walker accepts $17.2 million qualifying offer

Walker will return to the Big Apple for at least one more season

Today was the deadline for players to accept or decline their qualifying offers, and second baseman Neil Walker waited until the last possible minute to make a decision. The 31 year old will accept the offer made by the New York Mets, and will earn $17.2 million in 2017. Walker joins Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson as the only other player this off-season to take the one year contract. 

Walker will now be under team control for 2017 and cannot be traded until June 15, as per the collective bargaining agreement rules. Although he is locked up for next year, Newsday's Marc Carig recently reported that both sides have mutual interest in a multi-year pact. Such arrangement will be explored in the coming months, and likely during the 2017 season. 

When the Mets acquired Walker last winter, many had assumed that he would have just been with the team for one year and choosing a new destination in the current free agent class. That situation seemed probable until Walker was forced to miss the final two months of 2016 with a back injury. As a result, he was a candidate to accept the qualifying offer, since many teams may have been scared off by the back issue. At this moment in time, Walker seems to be progressing well and is expected to be ready for the 2017 campaign. 

The 8-year veteran finished the 2016 year hitting .282/.347/.476 with 23 HR and 55 RBI. He had gone off to a torrid start, hitting .305/.340/.600 with 9 HR in his first 24 games. From there, however, his bat cooled down significantly, but his season had been positively regarded by the majority of the fans. 

This is great news for the Mets as it provides them with a proven second baseman in 2017. Walker can handle the bright lights of New York and is beloved by teammates and fans, and that likely impacted his decision. More so, his injury was reasonably the leading factor in taking the qualifying offer. As a one year commitment, the injury shouldn't scare the Mets too much, and the length of the deal allows Walker to attempt to regain his value and enter the 2017 free agent class. 

Without Walker, the Mets would have committed to Wilmer Flores or T.J. Rivera, who are far less experienced. It is expected that the veteran will play everyday, but Flores may spell him from time to time against left handed pitching. 

*As expected, OF Yoenis Cespedes declined his qualifying offer of $17.2 million and will head to free agency*