PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to one-year contracts with six players Thursday, including Gold Glove first baseman Christian Walker and All-Star right-hander Zac Gallen, to avoid salary arbitration.
Walker will be paid $10.9 million next season, while Gallen will make $10,011,000.
Walker, who will be 33 next season, has been one of the most well-rounded first basemen in the big leagues over the past two years and was a huge piece for the D-backs during their recent run to the World Series, batting cleanup.
He's won Gold Gloves in each of the past two seasons and hit .258 with 33 homers and 103 RBI in 2023. Walker has played the last eight seasons with the D-backs after he was claimed off waivers from the Reds in 2017.
He made $6.5 million last season.
The 28-year-old Gallen was the starting pitcher for the National League All-Star team last year and had a 17-9 record with a 3.47 ERA. He finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting.
Gallen nearly doubled his salary after making $5.6 million last season.
Arizona also reached agreements with four key bullpen pieces, including closer Paul Sewald, lefty Joe Mantiply and right-handers Kevin Ginkel ($1,225,000) and Ryan Thompson.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
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Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises
