The Houston Astros have made another big offseason move, picking up free agent first baseman Christian Walker, per multiple reports. Walker and the Astros have agreed on a three-year, $60 million deal, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
Walker, who has spent the past eight seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, was one of the top free agents this offseason. The 33-year-old first baseman was something of a late bloomer in baseball, and did not become a consistent starter for the DBacks until 2019, when he was 28 years old.
Walker has earned three Gold Gloves in the past three straight seasons, sealing his reputation as one of the best first basemen in the league.
During the 2024 season, Walker hit 26 home runs and had a .251 batting average. But defense was where the infielder really shined: Walker finished the year with a league-leading .998 fielding percentage.
He played in 129 games this season, missing time in August with an oblique injury.
The move comes as Houston is trying to switch things up for next season, and likely means free agent Alex Bregman won’t return to the team. Nightengale reported the Yankees also had interest in Walker, but will likely shift their focus to Paul Goldschmidt and Carlos Santana.
The Astros traded All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs last week, freeing up some space to bring in players like Walker. In the trade, Houston received infielder Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Weskneski and prospect Cam Smith.
