Houston Astros in Agreement With Slugger Christian Walker on Lucrative Deal

The Houston Astros are in agreement on a deal with first baseman Christian Walker.

Sep 17, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first base Christian Walker (53) runs off a solo home run in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros are going all in, making a huge splash on Friday afternoon.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Astros are in agreement on a deal with first baseman Christian Walker on a three-year, $60 million contract.

Walker was believed to be someone the front office was interested in over the past couple of months, but with the moves Houston made, it was uncertain if any signing or trade would be for a first baseman.

Isaac Paredes could've moved over to first base if they hadn't found another answer, but Walker now allows them to play him in his regular position.

The hope is for Walker, 33 years old, to come in and be something the Astros haven't had over the past 24 months. The first base position has given them nothing, a big reason why Houston hasn't found the success it was hoping for.

Walker had multiple suitors in free agency, but some were hesitant to give him a deal.

The Astros clearly aren't too worried about him aging, and with a World Series window that's only getting smaller, he was someone who made sense to sign.

If Houston gets the type of production out of Walker he's produced during the past few years, given he's hit at least 26 home runs in each of the past three seasons, they should be in an excellent position lineup-wise.

He's also a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman, too, winning the award three straight times from 2022 to 2024.

It remains uncertain if the Astros are looking to get anything else done, but the front office has been active, and they can't be counted out now.

They want to win, and this move signals that.