by The frozen first base market finally began to thaw on Friday when reports said Christian Walker agreed to a three-year, $60 million contract with the Houston Astros. While Pete Alonso remains the premium option among his position colleagues, Walker is the first of a deep first base free agent class to find a new home, with the right-hander securing a multi-year deal from a Houston club been terribly busy lately.
The Astros’ signing of Walker follows reports that Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado recently exercised his no-trade clause to block an agreed-upon deal between Houston and St. Louis that would have 10-time Gold Glover should send H-Town. Such a deal would theoretically have moved Isaac Paredes — acquired from Chicago in the Kyle Tucker blockbuster — to first base, with Arenado replacing long-time star Alex Bregman at the hot corner. Instead, Arenado said no and sent Houston back to the drawing board.
Further reports suggested that Arenado’s decision did not necessarily result in him landing in Houston this offseason, but rather suggested that the third baseman, who is still widely expected to be dealt, would be at that point didn’t want to give the green light to a deal. We’d rather wait and see what other potential landing spots might emerge. Instead of waiting to see whether Arenado would be a viable option again later this winter – or whether he would continue to work with Bregman as he seeks a massive deal in free agency – the Astros have apparently targeted both corner infield spots, initially Walker and Paredes to stay in his more homely spot on the other side of the diamond.
If this does indeed mark the end of Bregman’s time in Houston, what a run it has been. His landing spot now becomes one of the bigger storylines yet to play out this winter. And beyond Bregman, Walker’s signing increases attention on Alonso, the other top player remaining on the free-agent market. A reunion in Queens still appears to be in play, but Walker’s departure could prompt other teams in need of a first baseman to more seriously consider Alonso as a key addition at the position.
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For Walker, this lucrative deal is the culmination of a long baseball journey. His prowess dates back to his amateur days, first as a high schooler in Pennsylvania, winning a home run derby in 2009 that included Bryce Harper, and then as an offensive force in the SEC at the University of South Carolina. After being selected by Baltimore in the fourth round of the 2012 draft, Walker’s rise to major league slugger status slowed significantly. He performed well in the minors, but never well enough to be considered an integral part of the Orioles’ future. He made a few major league appearances with Baltimore but was designated for spring training assignment before the 2017 season.
Walker then bounced between a few teams with waivers — first Atlanta, then Cincinnati — before landing with Arizona just before Opening Day. With Paul Goldschmidt still called up for the D-Backs, it took two more seasons before Walker finally got his chance as the team’s everyday first baseman. But after Goldschmidt was traded to St. Louis, Walker took over the starting job in 2019 and never looked back.
Walker was solid in his first two seasons as the Snakes’ regular first baseman. His third season in 2021 was marred by injuries. In 2022, he rebounded significantly with his best season to date, posting a career-best performance of 36 home runs and initially winning his first Gold Glove. Long known for his powerful bat, Walker was also beginning to emerge as an exceptional defender. He didn’t win his first Gold Glove – the first of three in a row – until the 2022 season, but Walker finished in the 98th percentile of Outs Above Average in his first full season in 2019. Walker is at the end of the defensive spectrum and has a well-deserved reputation , to be the rare difference maker who plays in his position with the glove.
More importantly, he kept pounding. Walker followed his complete breakout season in 2022 with a similar season in 2023 as a key piece in the middle of the lineup for an Arizona team that shocked the world en route to a pennant. An oblique strain cost Walker a month of the 2024 season, but he was once again a driving force behind one of baseball’s best offenses in his platform year.
Walker was 28 years old and had more than six professional seasons under his belt before he got the chance to play every day in the major leagues. After patiently waiting his turn in multiple organizations, he blossomed into a brilliant flower in the desert, allowing for the unlikely outcome of hitting the open market as a highly sought-after free agent, even as one who will soon be 34 years old. Now Walker will be in the middle of Houston’s revamped roster, tasked with helping the powerhouse Astros extend their championship window despite drastic personnel changes in recent years surrounding franchise boss Jose Altuve. While Chase Field has certainly been a hitter-friendly home for Walker over the past six years, the newly named Daikin Park and its legendary Crawford Boxes should be an ideal location for the further development of his right-handed power.
As well as Walker fits into Houston’s roster, his signing is also undeniably overshadowed by the Astros’ recent attempt to tackle the first base position. Most of Houston’s dominant lead at the top of the American League was handled by Yuli Gurriel at first. After Gurriel’s contract expired following the club’s championship in 2022, the Astros moved on to another Cuban star, signing Jose Abreu to a three-year, $58.5 million contract. The spectacular extent to which the Abreu deal fell through — the prolific slugger was released in June and owed another $19.5 million in 2025 — is a big reason Houston was looking for a first baseman in the first place this winter.
Despite the eerily similar contract, it’s unfair to burden Walker with the same concerns that were raised with Abreu’s deal. Walker is two years younger than Abreu when he signed, and as arguably the best defender at his position, he brings significantly more defensive value. Additionally, Walker’s underlying offensive stats, aside from his flashy superficial stats, paint him as a legitimate centerfield threat. Abreu was an albatross at the end, but Walker is now an intriguing mulligan for Houston at first base.
After significantly strengthening the infield, Houston must now turn its attention to the unsettled situation in the outfield as Tucker is no longer the anchor on the right side. Yordan Alvarez has averaged 45-50 games in left field over the last four seasons, but coach Joe Espada spoke at the winter meetings of his preference to use Alvarez in the outfield even less often in hopes of providing more consistent durability from the fearsome slugger .
That would leave all three outfield spots uncertain, as incumbents Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick are both coming off particularly poor years on offense. Meyers’ excellent defense is likely worth consistent playing time at center, but the corner spots remain fluid.
Does Houston have an appetite for another addition via free agency or trade to address this issue? That could be the difference between the Astros entering 2025 with an offense that looks significantly better than their 2024 group, or whether they begin the season with an offense that is just constructed differently.
