Neil Walker is headed back to the Big Apple in 2017, as the second baseman has accepted the New York Mets' $17.2-million qualifying offer, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Walker confirmed the move on his Twitter account shortly after the 5 p.m. ET deadline.
Walker, who had been a free agent for the first time in his career, will now return to the Mets after a solid 2016 campaign that was cut short because of injury. The 31-year-old hit .282/.347/.476 and tied a career high with 23 homers over 113 games before a herniated disc in his back ended his season in September.
Now, he'll remain the starter at the keystone for the Mets, and, if healthy, will provide some much-needed infield stability for a team with other positions in flux. Midseason signing Jose Reyes will likely become a utility man who can play shortstop and spell both Walker and David Wright as needed; T.J. Rivera and Wilmer Flores will also likely play big roles in the middle infield combination.
Walker owns a career .273/.339/.436 slash line with 113 homers across eight big-league seasons with the Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Of the 10 free agents to be tendered qualifying offers this winter, only Walker and Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson accepted. He's just the fifth player ever to accept the offer.