A couple years ago, the Houston Astros topped the market to sign a steady veteran first baseman who’d been pursued by many clubs, but ultimately got three years and $58.5 million. The Astros, who got -1.9 WAR out of the deal, will still be paying Jose Abreu in 2025.
I reckon they’re hoping history does not repeat itself with another steady veteran first baseman who is getting a three-year deal from them for right around the same money. Christian Walker to the Astros:
Christian Walker has agreed to a 3-year, $60 million contract with the Houston Astros.@Ken_Rosenthal said close.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 20, 2024Walker, 33, was a late-bloomer with the Diamondbacks, breaking out when he was almost 30, and has been consistently solid the last three years (.250/.332/.481/120 wRC+, good defense, 10.8 WAR). There was some question on whether he would’ve been right to accept a Qualifying Offer from the Diamondbacks, but clearly, since he tripled that in free agency, he made the right decision.
As for the market, you do wonder about the fallout here. For one glaring thing, it MUST close the door on Alex Bregman returning to the Astros, right? Now they have Walker clearly at first and Isaac Paredes clearly at third. It’s over. Bregman will be moving on.
That, in turn, could mean another club is already close on Bregman, or his market is going to take a while. If he lingers into February, would the Cubs jump on one of those pillow deals? You could certainly make the argument, but I tend to think they’ll have committed their resources by then, they’ll still want Matt Shaw to get a serious look, and they’ll be hesitant to give up compensation (a second rounder, a fifth rounder, those bonus pool slots, and $1 million in IFA money) to sign Bregman to a one-year deal.
What does this Walker signing mean for fellow free agent first baseman Pete Alonso, seen as a much pricier option? I doubt the Astros would’ve been in on him, so maybe it’s a mild acceleration? Hard to say. It always felt like his market might take a while.
We knew some signings would come this week before Christmas, and now we’ve seen about seven in the last few days.
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