Christian Walker became a free agent this offseason after eight years with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Houston Astros have made another big offseason move, picking up Walker, per multiple reports. Walker and the Astros agreed to a three-year, $60 million contract, reports USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Walker, 33, was one of the top free agents this offseason. He has earned three Gold Gloves in each of the last three seasons, sealing his reputation as one of the best first basemen in the league.
Christian Walker Lands with the Astros
Despite missing all of August with an oblique strain, Walker batted .251/.335/.468 with 26 homers and 84 RBI over 130 games for Arizona. His final slash line was nearly identical to the career-high marks that helped lead Arizona to the 2023 World Series. Walker has delivered reliable production over the past three seasons, posting similar slash lines, each with an OPS above .800. While he lacks the home run power of Pete Alonso, he has averaged 32 homers over the past three seasons. But where he outshines Alonso is on defense.
Walker, a three-time reigning Gold Glove winner has long been one of the best defensive first basemen in the majors. He led National League first basemen with 13 outs above average last season and won his third straight Gold Glove, tying Goldschmidt in Diamondbacks history. Since the beginning of 2022, Walker has led his position with 38 outs above average. He ranks fifth in wins above replacement over that span. His 57 outs above average since 2016, makes the 33-year-old the best-fielding first baseman in the Statcast era.
While power-hitting first basemen have often historically declined rather quickly, Walker has shown no signs of slowing down. His hard-hit and barrel rates are both still top-notch, and his bat speed is still well above league average. The 2025 Steamer projections have Walker, and the younger Alonso projected once again to be nearly identical hitters, with Walker having the defensive edge.
Main Photo: © Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The post Astros Sign Christian Walker on Reported 3-Year, $60M Deal appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.