The Houston Astros have made another big offseason move, acquiring free agent first baseman Christian Walker, according to multiple reports. Walker and the Astros agreed to a three-year, $60 million contract, for Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Walker, who spent the last eight seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, was one of the top free agents this offseason. The 33-year-old first baseman was a late bloomer in baseball and didn’t become a consistent starter for the DBacks until 2019, when he was 28 years old.
Walker has won three Gold Gloves in the last three consecutive 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 and missed time in August with an oblique injury.
The move comes as Houston tries to turn things around for next season. The Astros traded star right fielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs last week, freeing up some space to bring in players like Walker.