Intriguing Gold Glove Option Floated as Solution for Houston Astros First Base Issue

The Houston Astros could plug a hole with a very solid option in free agency.

Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Houston Astros need to improve in numerous areas after the team suffered their earliest postseason exit in nearly a decade with a 2-0 sweep in the Wild Card round at the hands of former manager A.J. Hinch and the Detroit Tigers.

While it feels unlikely that mega money will be spent - we'll wait and see on Alex Bregman - one position that desperately needs to be upgraded is first base. The Astros cut their losses on the José Abreu contract and released him in June after an absolutely disastrous beginning of the season. This left a platoon system which resulted in extremely low production from the position throughout the season.

Houston ranked No. 26 in the league in both OPS and on-base percentage from first base in 2024, No. 24 in batting average, No. 27 in slugging, and top-ten in strikeouts. The simple fact of the matter is that for a team with World Series aspirations, you cannot have a hole that glaring in the lineup. While some have floated the idea of Pete Alonso or Paul Goldschmidt for Houston, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle suggested instead that the Astros look at a player like Christian Walker.

Walker has been with Arizona for the last eight years but is coming off the best three-year run of his career as he gets set to hit free agency for the first time. Over the last three seasons, Walker has hit 95 home runs and 281 RBIs with an OPS over .800 and an OPS+ over 120. In 2024, he hit .251 with an on-base percentage of .335. Perhaps most importantly, Walker is an elite defender, winning a Gold Glove in both 2022 and 2023.

The Diamondbacks will have an option to extend Walker a qualifying offer which is expected to be in the $21 million range, but he could certainly choose to decline and seek a deal in a similar range for multiple seasons.

Both Alonso and Goldschmidt are fine options at a position that will certainly need to improve, but Alonso is expected to command a huge number while Goldschmidt is going to be 38 by the time the postseason begins in 2026. Walker on the other hand is nearly five years younger and can give a steady presence with power potential in the lineup along with top class defense in the field.