Mets, Pirates Complete Jon Niese For Neil Walker Trade

The New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates completed a trade on Wednesday, with starting pitcher Jon Niese headed to Pittsburgh in exchange for second baseman Neil Walker.

Via FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal:

Source: #Mets agree to trade Niese to #Pirates for Walker, pending medical reviews.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 9, 2015

The Mets missed out on their first middle infield target when Ben Zobrist agreed to a four-year, $56 million deal with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. Postseason hero Daniel Murphy declined the team's one-year qualifying offer earlier this offseason, and it was already unlikely that he'd return to the club even before today's trade.

Niese, 29, was projected by most to be New York's fifth starter in 2016. However, with Zack Wheeler projected to return and the possibility that the team could retain Bartolo Colon, Niese became expendable.

The lefty went 9-10 with a 4.13 ERA in 33 appearances (29 starts) in 2015. He's owed $9 million this coming year, with options for $10 and $11 million in 2017 and 2018.

Walker, 30, has just one year of team control left on his deal. A defensive upgrade from Daniel Murphy, Walker also hit .269 with 16 home runs and 71 RBI for the Pirates in 2015.