A team in the American League got better on Friday afternoon.

According to multiple sources, the Houston Astros have signed first baseman Christian Walker to a three-year, $60 million deal.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Christian Walker has agreed to a 3-year, $60 million contract with the Houston Astros.<a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Ken_Rosenthal</a> said close.
&mdash; Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/1870167840218853745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Walker was selected in the fourth round of the 2012 draft by the Baltimore Orioles. The first baseman made his debut in 2014, but only spent two seasons in the big leagues for them, getting 31 plate appearances. In Feb. 2017, he was designated for assignment, being claimed by the Atlanta Braves, who also DFA’ed him, with the Cincinnati Reds claiming him a few weeks later.
He was once again DFA’ed, this time with the Arizona Diamondbacks picking him up. This time, he stuck and Walker became a regular for the Diamondbacks in 2019. That season, he slashed .259/.348/.476 with 29 home runs in 603 plate appearances for a 111 wRC+ and a 3 fWAR.
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His career year was in 2022, where he slashed .242/.327/.477 with a career-high 36 home runs for a 122 wRC+ and a 3.9 fWAR. In 2023, Walker slashed .258/.333/.497 with 33 home runs in 661 plate appearances for a 119 wRC+ and a 3.9 fWAR, helping the Diamondbacks reach the World Series where they lost to the Texas Rangers.
Walker’s final season with the Diamondbacks was in 2024, where he slashed .251/.335/.468 with 26 home runs in 552 plate appearances for a 119 wRC+ and a 3 fWAR. Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks, they fell short of making the postseason on the final day of the regular season.
The last time the Astros signed a first baseman, it didn’t work out well, as José Abreu slashed .217/.275/.351 with 20 home runs in 714 plate appearances with the Astros in 2023 and 2024. He signed a three-year, $58.5 million deal with the team before the 2023 season; however, he never played that third year, as the Astros released him in Jun. 2024.
Another question stemming from this signing is what happens with the Astros and Alex Bregman? After trading Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs for Isaac Paredes, the hot corner is set for the Astros. They reportedly had a trade lined up for Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals, but Arenado reportedly vetoed the trade. Now with Walker signed, there’s no spot for Bregman in the lineup.
It’ll be interesting to see where the top third baseman ends up this off-season, and whether or not moving on from two important players impacts the Astros next season.
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As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.
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A team in the American League got better on Friday afternoon.



According to multiple sources, the Houston Astros have signed first baseman Christian Walker to a three-year, $60 million deal.

https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/1870167840218853745

Walker was selected in the fourth round of the 2012 draft by the Baltimore Orioles. The first baseman made his debut in 2014, but only spent two seasons in the big leagues for them, getting 31 plate appearances. In Feb. 2017, he was designated for assignment, being claimed by the Atlanta Braves, who also DFA’ed him, with the Cincinnati Reds claiming him a few weeks later.

He was once again DFA’ed, this time with the Arizona Diamondbacks picking him up. This time, he stuck and Walker became a regular for the Diamondbacks in 2019. That season, he slashed .259/.348/.476 with 29 home runs in 603 plate appearances for a 111 wRC+ and a 3 fWAR.
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His career year was in 2022, where he slashed .242/.327/.477 with a career-high 36 home runs for a 122 wRC+ and a 3.9 fWAR. In 2023, Walker slashed .258/.333/.497 with 33 home runs in 661 plate appearances for a 119 wRC+ and a 3.9 fWAR, helping the Diamondbacks reach the World Series where they lost to the Texas Rangers.

Walker’s final season with the Diamondbacks was in 2024, where he slashed .251/.335/.468 with 26 home runs in 552 plate appearances for a 119 wRC+ and a 3 fWAR. Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks, they fell short of making the postseason on the final day of the regular season.

The last time the Astros signed a first baseman, it didn’t work out well, as José Abreu slashed .217/.275/.351 with 20 home runs in 714 plate appearances with the Astros in 2023 and 2024. He signed a three-year, $58.5 million deal with the team before the 2023 season; however, he never played that third year, as the Astros released him in Jun. 2024.

Another question stemming from this signing is what happens with the Astros and Alex Bregman? After trading Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs for Isaac Paredes, the hot corner is set for the Astros. They reportedly had a trade lined up for Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals, but Arenado reportedly vetoed the trade. Now with Walker signed, there’s no spot for Bregman in the lineup.

It’ll be interesting to see where the top third baseman ends up this off-season, and whether or not moving on from two important players impacts the Astros next season.

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As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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