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Gold Glove first baseman Christian Walker and the Houston Astros agreed to a three-year term on Friday. $60 million contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was contingent on a successful physical exam.
Houston acquired infielder Isaac Paredes from the Cubs last weekend as part of the trade that sent outfielder Kyle Tucker to Chicago, and Walker’s deal likely means the Astros plan to start Paredes at third and not start third baseman Alex Bregman to commit again.
Walker, who turns 34 in the opening week of the season, hit .251 with 26 homers, 84 RBIs, 55 walks and 133 strikeouts this year. That was down from 2023, when he hit .258 with 33 homers and 103 RBIs as the Diamondbacks reached the World Series.
It wasn’t until 2019 that he secured a full-time job in the major leagues. He has provided consistent production over the past six seasons and developed into a premier defensive first baseman, winning Gold Gloves in each of the past three seasons.
Walker played college ball at South Carolina and was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2012. He made his big league debut with the Orioles in 2014, but failed to pitch in the majors and was claimed off waivers by Atlanta, Cincinnati and Arizona in a five-week span.
“He’s a phenomenal player,” Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said. “He’s the best defensive first baseman in baseball. He’s a self-made player in many ways and I respect that immensely. That gave our clubhouse a role model that was pretty elite.”
Walker had a salary of $10.9 million last season and declined Arizona’s qualifying offer of $21.05 million.
Houston will lose its second and fifth highest picks in the 2025 amateur draft.
