Aug 20, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (6) throws out Oakland Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker (not pictured) during the sixth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay Rays' Taylor Walls Defends Himself After Failing to Avoid Arbitration

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Sam Connon | Last updated Jan 10, 2025 9:30 AM ET

The Tampa Bay Rays and infielder Taylor Walls were unable to avoid arbitration ahead of Thursday afternoon's deadline, and it didn't take long for the discord to go public.

Per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, Walls filed for a $1.575 million salary, while the Rays filed at $1.3 million. Tampa Bay's offer was right in line with what MLB Trade Rumors projected Walls to make in 2025 at the start of the offseason, and above Spotrac's estimate of $1.1 million.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times detailed Walls' 2024 season while passing along the news, citing his .183 batting average, .529 OPS and two-month absence due to hip surgery – as well as his status as an "elite" defensive player.

Walls took issue with Topkin omitting the specific defensive stats, hopping into his replies on social media to express his frustration.

What were the defensive statistics?
— Taylor Walls (@dt_walls) January 9, 2025

As a defense-first player, Walls valuing his production in the field likely played a part in his salary proposal coming in above expectations.

Walls posted a 1.4 WAR with a defensive WAR of 1.7 in 2024. Since making his major league debut in 2021, Walls has averaged a 3.2 WAR and 3.0 defensive WAR per 162 games, even leading the AL in defensive WAR back in 2022.

While he was snubbed from Gold Glove contention that season, Walls was a Gold Glove finalist in the AL Utility spot in 2023.

Walls has racked up 50 defensive runs saved in his MLB career thus far. The 28-year-old had 12 defensive runs saved in just 83 games at shortstop in 2024, on top of leading the AL with a 15 Total Zone.

With top prospect Carson Williams on a big league track, Walls probably won't have the starting shortstop job locked down for much longer. He does play well above-average defensive at both second and third base, though, so he will still provide value as a utility man moving forward.

This was Walls' first year of arbitration eligibility, having made $1.48 million over the last two seasons combined. He is slated to hit free agency in 2028, meaning he and the Rays could have a few more contentious arbitration battles ahead, even after the current one gets squashed in the impending hearing.

The Rays settled on salaries with all six of their other arbitration-eligible players.

Track all of the arbitration deadline deals across the league HERE.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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