Home Sports Baseball Neil Walker Accepts Mets’ $17.2 Million Qualifying Offer

Neil Walker Accepts Mets’ $17.2 Million Qualifying Offer

nycsn - Nov 14, 2016002226

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 31: Neil Walker #20 of the New York Mets reacts after his first-inning RBI triple against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field on July 31, 2016 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — The Mets will have their second baseman back in 2017.

Neil Walker on Monday accepted the team’s $17.2 million qualifying offer for next season, WFAN baseball insider Jon Heyman reported.

If he had rejected the offer, Walker would have become a free agent. Had he signed elsewhere, his new team would have had to forfeit its top unprotected draft pick in 2017 to the Mets. The top 10 selections in the draft are protected.

Walker, 31, batted .282 with 23 home runs and 55 RBIs in 113 games before his first season in Queens was cut short by a back injury. Walker earned $10.55 million in 2016.

Walker posted on Twitter on Monday afternoon: “Happy to say I’m back in Orange and Blue for 2017!! Let’s go Mets!”