Inside the Astros

Houston Astros Upgrade at Key Position Among Most Significant Offseason Moves

The Houston Astros made one of the most important moves across the league this offseason.

Michael Brauner

Feb 20, 2025; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; Houston Astros first base Christian Walker (8) poses for a headshot at the Houston Astros media day.
Feb 20, 2025; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; Houston Astros first base Christian Walker (8) poses for a headshot at the Houston Astros media day. / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
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The Houston Astros are on the cusp of beginning a brand new era this season led by some new faces and having to replace some old ones.

Among those new faces is the biggest signing for the Astros of the winter in former Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker. To state the obvious, Houston will look very different both in the infield and in the outfield, but the upgrade of bringing in Walker to the mess that was the first base platoon in 2024 could offset some of the lost production.

In a recent article naming the most significant positional upgrades across baseball, Brian Murphy of MLB.com used FanGraphs WAR projections to compare the production from a group in 2024 and what the expectation is for 2025.

While the Astros ranked a dreadful No. 28 in baseball for first base WAR last season, Murphy pointed out they are projected to rise into the top-ten for 2025 all the way to No. 6.

There are a tons of pros to bringing in Walker both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The 33-year-old has been named a Gold Glover in each of the last three seasons and isn arguably the best defensive first basemen in all of baseball.

Don't let the elite defense fool you into believing he's not a tremendous hitter either as the veteran has found a new gear on the offensive side of the ball. From 2022-2024, Walker slashed .250/.332/.481, good for an OPS over .800 along with 95 home runs and 281 RBI.

Expecting Walker to carry the load of losing both Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker in the same offseason and the gaping hole those losses create is not realistic nor is it fair, but handing over $60 million to slugger over three years proved to the rest of the league Houston is still trying to contend for titles.

Just as important as the production he brings is something that can't necessarily be quantified on a stat sheet. In losing Bregman and Tucker, the Astros lost two of not just their best players, but two of their veteran leaders as well. Walker, a 10-year big league veteran, brings a steady hand and has the potential to become one of the main leaders in the clubhouse.

After multiple seasons of question marks and a revolving door platoon anchoring the infield, Houston finally has a defined first baseman who they can depend upon to play every day and play at an elite level while bringing a level of professionalism to the organization they may be in need of during this transition season.

How Walker translates to H-Town this year will be one of the biggest determining factors as to what the ceiling is for this Astros team.

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Michael Brauner
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