Two winters ago, the Houston Astros bid adieu to first baseman Yuli Gurriel in favor of free agent pickup Jose Abreu.
Gurriel was just one season removed from a Gold Glove season in which he hit .319 but was also 38 years old. Abreu was 36, a then-career .292 hitter with some impressive credentials. It figured to be a good stopgap move for Houston.
Abreu slogged through 176 miserable games over one-plus campaigns with the Astros before he was released. For the majority of 2024, the team platooned Jon Singleton with catchers-turned-first sackers Victor Caratini and Yainer Diaz at the position.
Now, with the 2025 free agency window just weeks away from opening, Houston has a chance to pick up a legitimate full-time first baseman.
While New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso leads the impending free agent class in most eyes and will almost certainly garner the biggest paycheck heading into next season.
However, another option may be in play for the Astros. While he won't come cheap, he will come cheaper than the Polar Bear — and for a team with as many payroll issues to juggle as Houston, that is an attractive feature.
Even better, he boasts a better WAR than Alonso.
Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker out-WAR'd Alonso 6.8-5.0 across 2023-24 and also may be looking for a new home with his current team anchored to the disastrous two-year, $47.5 million contract given to pitcher Jordan Montgomery last March.
The Houston Chronicle names Walker as an option for the Astros, given that Alonso "may seek the type of megadeal Houston has avoided under owner Jim Crane."
Walker will turn 34 before Opening Day in 2025 (as opposed to Alonso, who will be 30), but has provided plenty of pop to the Arizona lineup over the past three seasons in addition to winning a Gold Glove for his defense.
Having played eight of his 10 MLB seasons with the Diamondbacks, Walker was well on his way to a third-consecutive 30-plus home run season in 2024 before missing a month due to an oblique strain. However, he returned to play all of September, collecting hits in 15 of 23 games in what may have been his Arizona curtain call.
The options drop off quickly after Walker, headed by the aging Carlos Santana and Paul Goldschmidt. Santana projects to be little more than an older version of Singleton. Goldschmidt, like Abreu, has an impressive resume, but his production has trailed off precipitously since his 2022 MVP campaign.
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