Neil Walker has accepted the Mets' one-year qualifying offer of $17.2 million.
Walker, 31, is coming off one of his best seasons. In 113 games, the switch hitter batted .282/.347/.476 with 23 homers and 55 RBIs. He equaled a single-season best for homers, a spike driven by power numbers from the right side that went beyond his career norms.
"Happy to say I'm back in Orange and Blue for 2017!! Let's go Mets! [hashtag]unfinishedbusiness," Walker tweeted shortly after accepting the offer.
Back surgery in September ended Walker's season prematurely. Nevertheless, the Mets gave the second baseman a qualifying offer, convinced that his back would not be an issue moving forward.
Walker was arguably the best middle infielder in a thin market, though that was far from a guarantee of a long-term contract.
Yoenis Cespedes declined the qualifying offer.