Logical Houston Astros Offseason Target Predicted To Re-Sign With Current Team

The Houston Astros have two areas they need to improve this offseason and this player would be the perfect fit.

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker (53) tosses the ball to first after fielding a sharp ground ball on July 27, 2024 at Chase Field in Phoenix. / Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

While the Houston Astros look poised to win the American League West again, currently 4.5 games ahead of the second-place Seattle Mariners, there have been a few down spots on the roster.

Of those is the first base position. When the Astros signed Jose Abreu two years ago, the hope was for him to be a high-level player in the middle of the lineup.

Instead, he struggled, which led to his release. Houston turned to Jon Singleton, who hasn't exactly been much better.

Singleton is slashing .230/.318/.379 with a 98 OPS+ and 13 home runs in 317 at-bats. His numbers aren't horrible, but at a premium power position like first base, a 98 OPS+ could easily be upgraded.

Reports around the deadline indicated that the Astros were interested in trading for a first baseman. Whether said player never became available or they didn't have the ammo in the farm system to pull off a trade, Houston didn't upgrade the position.

With the offseason approaching, they'll have another opportunity to do so. This time, however, without having to make a trade. They could still do so, but this free agency has a few elite first basemen on the market, making it easier to land a player.

Of those is Christian Walker. Walker is the defintion of a great professional. He doesn't get the recognition of some of the other top first basemen in the game, but he's comfortably a top-10 player at the position.

All that's to say, the Astros would get much better if they signed him this winter.

However, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report predicted he'd re-sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"A late-bloomer who did not become an everyday player until his age-28 season, Christian Walker has quietly racked up 143 home runs and 15.1 WAR in eight seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 33-year-old seems like a strong candidate to be re-signed given his importance to the D-backs' success. The two-year, $40 million deal that Anthony Rizzo signed with the New York Yankees prior to the 2023 season is a reasonable expectation for his earning power given his age and production."

Walker could be in line to get a big pay raise, so if Houston is willing to give him more money than the Diamondbacks and other teams, he should be interested in playing for a championship organization like the Astros.

Walker is slashing .254/.336/.473 with a 123 OPS+ and 23 home runs in 410 at-bats. He hit 33 home runs in 2023 and 36 in 2022.

A position of need, look for Houston to be in the mix this winter.