Bad Contracts Should Not Deter Houston Astros From Signing Veteran First Baseman

Despite some bad contracts on the team, the Houston Astros should still puruse a talented first baseman.

Sep 7, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker (53) hits an RBI infield single against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning at Minute Maid Park. / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros have entered the offseason with a few big questions regarding what the team might look like in 2025. 

As the Astros look to bounce back from an early exit in the postseason, they will have some important decisions to make regarding some key players. 

Alex Bregman is the best third baseman on the market by far, and he is going to warrant a hefty contract. However, with other needs for Houston and some bad contracts outstanding, the Astros might have to draw a line about how much they will spend on Bregman. 

While losing their star third baseman would be a tough blow, they also have a major hole currently at first base, and some upgrades to the outfield wouldn’t hurt either. 

Recently, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report highlighted the Astros as a great landing spot for free-agent first baseman, Christian Walker. 

“With 2025 marking the final year before both Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez hit free agency, though, there's no use crying over more than $70 million worth of spilled milk. They just need to dig deeper into their pockets and embrace what will be a club-record payroll for what may well be the final year of what has been a long championship window.”

Houston is still very much in a win-now mode before more of their talented players hit free agency next offseason. Like Bregman, Walker won’t be coming at a discounted price this winter either. However, it will likely be for fewer years.

While having both of them sign this offseason would be great, that would really skyrocket Houston’s payroll. The issue at first base stems from a bad contract that the Astros recently gave to Jose Abreu a couple of years ago. 

The failure of that signing could have an impact on their interest in Walker, as he is also closer to 35 years old than 30 years old. While Abreu was a very good player prior to signing with the Astros, he wasn’t nearly as good of a defensive player as Walker is. 

A lot of the potential interest in the slugging first baseman will likely come down to what happens with Bregman. If the price point is too high and Houston could sign a player like Walker and perhaps add an outfielder, that might end up being a better option for the team. 

With some young players like Shay Whitcomb and Zach Dezenzo in the organization, replacing their talented third baseman might not be as hard as originally expected. At first base, Walker would be a great signing to keep the franchise in their win-now mindset.