12:03 p.m.: Walker’s three-year, $60MM deal, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
12:00pm: Walker and the Astros have reached an agreement, pending the completion of a physical, reports Jim Bowden of The Athletic.
11:25am: Astros and free agent first baseman Christian Walker they are in “advanced” talks, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic hear the same, reporting that the two teams are moving forward on a deal. Walker and his agents at CAA are reportedly looking for a four-year deal.
Walker’s Houston deal would seem to close the door on a possible reunion Alex Bregman. Houston was recently discovered Isaac Paredes from the Cubs as part of a trade to send Kyle Tucker to Chicago, and while Paredes could play first base with Bregman in the bullpen, he would almost certainly be slotted into third base if Walker were to be signed.
Walker, 33, has been a fixture of the Astros for a long time, since the trade deadline when he was reportedly at the top of their wish list. The deal wasn’t done then, obviously, but Houston still needs a starter after their three-year deal with the No. Jose Abreu he almost jumped on them. Houston’s first basemen – led by Abreu no Jon Singleton — posted a miserable .226/.291/360 batting line in the 2024 season. Walker, meanwhile, hit .251/.335/.468 — almost exactly matching his .253/.333/.464 line over 3,171 plate appearances from the 2019 season.
Despite his quality results at the plate, Walker has emerged as the best defensive outfielder in MLB. He has won three consecutive National League Baseball Glove Awards and leads all first basemen in Defensive Runs Saved (33) and Outs Above Average (39) over the past three seasons. Matt Olson (27) and Carlos Santana (20) is the second of those relevant metrics. Walker’s defensive efficiency at his position was essentially unmatched.
Both Walker and the newly acquired Paredes are solid fits with the Astros, given the left field balcony at the newly renamed Daikin Park. That’s even more true of Paredes, who is one of the best fly ball hitters in the game. Walker has a versatile approach, but when he separates his pull balls, he ranks 15th among professional hitters in fly-ball rate (32.2%). Simply put, Walker may spray the ball around Paredes, but when he pulls the ball, he raises it more often than most major league hitters. For a right-handed hitter with a lot of pop in his bat, that should play well with the 314-foot left field porch.
Walker declined a $21.05MM qualifying offer from the D-backs at the end of the season. Therefore, he would call the Astros for their second and fifth top picks in the 2025 draft, as well as $1MM of space from their bonus pool allocated to the international amateur free agency. That’s the highest possible fine for signing an eligible free agent, but the Astros find themselves at that level due to exceeding the luxury tax limit in 2024. The fact that they have exceeded the tax threshold means that they will only get a compensatory choice. after the fourth round in an event that Bregman may now sign elsewhere. As for the D-backs, they will get a pick after the first round.
More to come.
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