It points in the direction of the predictable: Diamondbacks free agent Christian Walker is reportedly being courted by the New York Yankees, and Arizona is probably well on the way to planning how he will replace the best defensive first baseman of the last five years .

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported Tuesday that after seeing domino Juan Soto land with the Mets, the Yankees are prioritizing Walker over Mets free agent first baseman Pete Alonso. It confirmed the Yankees’ active negotiations with Walker, first reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

“Based on what I’ve heard from sources in the last few days, I believe Christian Walker is a bigger priority for the Yankees than Pete Alonso right now,” Morosi reported.

Walker slashed .256/.335/.468 last season and hit 26 home runs with 84 RBIs.

He turns 34 in March and was initially a fixture for the D-Backs since the franchise traded away homegrown star Paul Goldschmidt in 2018.

What will the D-Backs do if the Yankees or others sign Christian Walker?

Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said: Bickley & Marotta of Arizona Sports on Tuesday that the team is prepared for whatever happens regarding Walker’s free agency.

“First of all, Walk is a stud,” Hazen said. “Self-made person and everyone can admire and respect that… Nothing is done until it’s done, so I’ll leave (the possibility of signing elsewhere) alone.” As for other options, yes, we have to explore everything on the market .”

The D-Backs will look at outside free agents and trade opportunities when it comes to whether or not Walker signs with the Yankees.

What does Arizona have to replace him internally? Catcher Adrian Del Castillo, who impressed at the plate as a rookie but struggled behind it, likely won’t go first, although he’s behind fellow rookie Gabriel Moreno.

It’s harder to find good catchers, Hazen said, and the team is in no rush to change positions to get his bat in the lineup — although that’s being discussed as a future possibility.

“That being said, we think Pavin (Smith) deserves a chance to play against the right-handers,” Hazen added. “He did a great job for us last year when he was up there. I don’t think he ever had a really long run. He’ll fit somewhere in the whole puzzle we’re going to put together.”

Smith has only surpassed 100 games in a season once in five MLB seasons. He played 145 games in the D-Backs’ 52-110 season in 2021.

Last year, Smith slashed .270/.348/.547 in 60 games and matched his career high with an .896 OPS.

However, only 23 of his 158 attacks came against lefties.

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