Detroit Tigers Miss on Potential First Baseman Christian Walker in Free Agency
The Detroit Tigers came into the offseason looking to make some noise and improve a team that shocked everyone last season.
It was a great and surprising campaign for the Tigers in 2024, as they snapped a lengthy playoff drought and went on to beat the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card.
Detroit making the playoffs was a bit earlier on the timeline than the franchise likely anticipated, especially since they were sellers at the trade deadline. However, thanks to Tarik Skubal and an amazing bullpen in the last couple of months of the season, Detroit exceeded all of those expectations.
However, while they had a ton of success, there are still some holes on the team that will need to be filled. In the lineup especially, the Tigers could use a power bat at either first base or third base.
Recently, one player who was a perfect fit for them at first baseman has reportedly signed with the Astros, and that is Christian Walker. The deal for Walker looks to be a very fair one for the Astros at three-years and $60 million.
At $20 million a year for a power hitter and a gold glove defender, this seems like a very strong deal. Furthermore, at his age, keeping it at just three years is a very good thing as well.
Detroit has been fairly quiet in terms of looking to upgrade the offense, and Walker is the first of the main free-agent first basemen to sign.
Now, the Tigers are going to have some decisions to make as their targets begin to dwindle at the position. Currently, Pete Alonso, Carlos Santana, and Paul Goldschmidt highlight the best remaining players at the position.
However, on the other side of the infield, Alex Bregman will certainly not be returning to Houston now, as that is one less team that they have to worry about for his pursuit.
While it’s not ideal to see Walker go off the board in free agency for Detroit, it does take one more team out of the bidding for sure for Bregman, who very well could be their top target in free agency.
With the holidays and the new year quickly approaching, it will be interesting to see what the plan is for the Tigers. Ideally, upgrading at first base or third base with someone who can bat in the middle of the order should be a priority. Unfortunately, they have one less option now.
