Astros Sign Christian Walker to Three-Year, $60-Million Contract
Free agent first baseman Christian Walker has found a new home in Houston.
The 33-year-old has reportedly signed with the Astros, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Chandler Rome first reported. It‘s a three-year deal worth $60 million, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
Amongst potential suitors for Walker included the New York Yankees, who remain open to adding a first baseman. But it’s believed they weren’t interested in forfeiting draft compensation to sign him and are focused on veterans Paul Goldschmidt and Carlos Santana, as Nightengale added.
Since Walker declined his $21.05 million qualifying offer from the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Astros will forfeit next season’s second and fifth-round selections as a team that exceeded last season’s luxury tax and does not receive revenue sharing.
Walker spent the last eight seasons in Arizona, posting 146 home runs and 442 RBIs while slashing .251/.331/.464 across 819 career games. He also produced a 113 wRC+ (100 league average), accounting for 15 fWAR.
In 2024, the right-handed-hitting first baseman clubbed 26 home runs, drove in 84, earned a 119 wRC+ and slashed .251/.335/.468 over 130 games, finishing as a three-win player per fWAR.
The Norristown, Pennsylvania, native is also a terrific defender at first base, where he’s won three straight Gold Glove Awards from 2022-24. During that span, he leads all qualified big-league first basemen in defensive runs saved (33), outs above average (39) and fielding run value (29).
Houston’s front office has been incredibly active over the past week, striking a deal to send outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs last Friday in exchange for infielder Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and third base prospect Cam Smith.
After signing Walker, Paredes will likely move to third base next season, clearing a path for the former Diamondback at first. This move also probably signals the end of a potential return for Alex Bregman, who’s currently a free agent.
The Astros attempted to address their first base situation prior to the 2023 season, signing veteran José Abreu to a three-year, $58.5-million contract in free agency. But things didn’t work out. He struggled mightily in Year 1 with the team, with his offensive woes worsening last season.
Abreu was ultimately released by the club last June, cutting their losses with the 2020 American League MVP and three-time All-Star less than halfway through his deal. He’s still on the hook for $19.5 million in 2025.
By adding Walker’s $20-million AAV to their books, the Astros’ projected 2025 Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) payroll rises to approximately $244 million per FanGraphs’ RosterResouce, surpassing the $241 million luxury-tax threshold.
Following the additions of Walker and Paredes, Houston has acquired a considerable middle-of-the-order thump to join Yordan Alvarez, Yainer Diaz and Jose Altuve in the top half of its lineup. That’s without considering any further offensive acquisitions.
General manager Dana Brown may also seek starting rotation upgrades for a staff headlined by ace Framber Valdez. However, management could be forced to shed an expiring salary before making another significant splash, with the team’s payroll already above the first luxury-tax line.
Since the Astros have reportedly declared Valdez untouchable, the only other potential cost-saving candidates include right-hander Ryan Pressly ($14 million) and switch-hitting catcher Victor Caratini ($6 million) – both of whom will be free agents after next season.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Larry Syverson. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.