BREAKING: Astros Sign 1B Christian Walker

B tier. And you know, I think me and BBD had a moment one of a Waken Jake kind of breaking news episode that popped was Jose Abreu signing an eerily similar contract about two years ago to those same Houston Astros. So the early report is it's Christian Walker for three years, twenty million a year, quick mass as sixty million beebs is a little hot to trot. Thinks there should be some player vesting stuff. Where there were rumors of a fourth year.

thirty games, he was on a very similar pace. If you look at any of the first base defensive analytics, which are a little sketch, we still don't have that figured out perfectly, but if you look at the top of the leaderboards, you do see the best defensive first basement to the eye test, and Christian Walker blows like everyone out of the water. So with that, Houston has now started a pretty interesting off season. The Kyle Tucker trade, which again that's one of the best players in the

American League. He is now a Chicago cub. Esach Prette has come over and we talked about that. He's twenty five ESAC big time pull hitter. Like if there's a place where he should click, it would be Houston. There are some rumors he was going to play first base. He's now their third baseman. We'll see what they do with the DH position. I do have some thoughts on that.

Right now, they would have Jordan penciled at DH. Jordan can play a little more left field than I think our brains think, especially with the Crawford boxes out there. His straight line speed is good. He's like a tight end. But the rest of the Astros outfield is still Chas McCormick, Jake Myers, and Taylor Tremmel. We've seen them like Chas McCormick and Jake Myers at different times. Marisa dubont is

still on the team. Love saying that they are missing a lefty right now, and I'm wondering what their next move is going to be because I have been on a hunt for lefties for my Yankees throughout this entire offseason. So I can tell you a little bit of what's out there. Brandon Lowe again, they kind of they have second base and they have DH. Brandon Lowe's played a little bit of outfield. I don't know, it doesn't feel

like a perfect fit. But if he went to Houston, you'd be like, Okay, that guy could trend back up to forty ish homers if he's healthy for a full year. Asterisk Jack Peterson Young Jock is looking for a home. And if you can have Jordan and Jock survive in left field, and you could have the other one DH, you then have a lineup that is pretty mean one through seven. If that example happened, they could go Altuve or done on Perette's Jock, Christian Walker, Yiner Diaz, Jeremy Pana.

So I'm expecting them to add an impact lefty bat. I guess I'm trying to think who else, who else is out there? Because we've done this game a lot, there's not a ton like.

So it now it kind of officially feels like the Alex Bregman era is over in Houston, which, uh surprise and not surprising hits both sides of it, Like they were still talking, but he wanted the six years, but it seemed like they were ready to move on. But then where was the interest? Everywhere? Everywhere else? They had a pretty good offer in on him. You have to think the twenty mil to Christian Walker ends that. I'll be honest, I'm you're not going to get a good

hot take out of me on Christian Walker. I was nervous for the Yankees to sign him just because of the age. He's going to turn thirty four for opening Day and the Yankees have just seen father time struggle recently between Rizzo, which you know ended up being a really weird one when you do the concussion and everything all in Josh Donaldson, didn't it look great. DJ Lemayhew has had a couple injuries and he's fallen off a

cliff that that could not be Christian Walker. Christian Walker could put together three great years and again that Houston Ballpark ten to help hitters. I do want to look at the Christian Walker spray chart, because for all how much I've talked about him, I haven't truly seen he pulls it. His homers are pull side, he pulls it, so that'll work out for him. The baseball Savant's pretty that if you're Houston, if you get two years of

good Christian Walker, that would be a win. And I think that's the interesting thing, Like next year you should have very high expectations for Christian Walker offensively and defensively, and then we'll see what goes on from there. So for Houston, they are going to be in the lefty

great game. And I wonder what else they have lined up or that they'd be willing to move or you know, I feel like there's that, I don't want to say second tier of players, but like Saint Louis, who they had a trade for Nolan Aaronato, so it seems like that's out. Also, you know, well a Brendan Donovan Alec Burlson type. Could they try to tap into someone like that and get new life in Houston. But I'd have to think they are in the lefty market. The Yankees

are slightly in the lefty market. Every team lefties are good. There's a lot of right handed pitching lefties are good. Our Yankees forgot that for a year. Yeah, hate it, hate it done. Now the first base market. Goldschmidt, Carlos Santana, how do you like you're old in the morning. We've got the former MVP righty big second half mashed lefties last year, and Paul Goldschmidt played every day for the Cardinals. I think if he plays a little less he should

be good. Carlos Santana, I mean, is entering ageless wonder territory. He had like his one of his best seasons since he was like a young kid studed for Cleveland and also grades out fantastic defensively, has a good eye, switch hitter, mash lefties. It feels like those guys. He's made this joke, and we've been kind of making this joke. But it feels like the Yankees are gonna throw ten mil at one of them and see which one signs first the

other one. You know, there's been a lot of Washington National rumors that they want to secure up their first base position. Is that Pete the Meat? Is that one of the veterans I did, like I think Trevor said it on a talk in baseball that he was like, Hey, you've got all these kids in Washington bringing Carlos Santana for a year, like he is one of the true leaders in baseball, especially for the Latin ball players, but

for any ballplayer. I mean, he's coming up on forty and he's still doing the damn thing switch hitting puts in the work. Clearly that I like that fit, I guess. And you know what, Biebs, I'm I need to take a step back because I forgot with my Yankee goggles on that the Yankees put together one of the worst defensive innings in baseball history. So we had to rule out guys. I forgot about Anthony Santander. I would love him in Houston. Him or Profar. That was the other

one that nobody knows where teams are at. With Profar, he had one of the best seasons of all the free agents. It's just such an outlier that a team is gonna go for him. And yes, I mean who if Houston if they go for Santan Dare, that lineup is disgusting. And the other weird thing with Houston that I'm interested to see if it transfers into next year. They didn't take pitches at all. I think they were the least pitches seen. Alex Bregman's obp was down. Al

Twuoveys notorious for attacking the ball. I don't know. I wonder you know Santander is not an on base that if Houston doesn't really care about that, and they can put him in left field and have him and rode On or him and Jordan that's funny. Uh. If they can have them switch out in left field. That's kind of what they used to do with Michael Brantley. It was kind of like, Hey, Brandley or Erodon, you're gonna get a couple games and left you're gonna have a

couple of games. Dhing that my god. If they could add Santander, who that is a big boy lineup. And I think Houston is coming back and wants to come back. They kind of had a weird year last year. They got eliminated by the Tigers. They kind of hobbled into the division. Framber Hunter Brown put together more of a season than I remembered. Ronel Blanco put together a massive season. Spencer Arraghetti down the stretch was great. Luis Garcia should be back next year. They have some of the pitching

options that I guess in the Al West. If you had to make me pick today, well, if I had to pick today, I'd still pick Texas. I think they're gonna have a bounce back year if they signed Santan Dare And it's so dumb because one player doesn't change a team's outlook as much as we like to think.

But they had a Christian Walker today and if they you know, in that fake world, I'm adding Santander or Jock Peterson or one of those guys that they've proven what level they can hit at that Houston would be a wagon and I'm a hitting guy and Seattle can't hit. Texas should bounce back. They have hitters and young guys that if one or two of them click, they should be back. That. Yeah, I I like the signing for Houston. It's definitely that second year is kind of the pivot

year for me. You're expecting Christian Walker to be great this year. You're expecting Christian Walker to be good last year. You know there's a risk that final year playing the odds games with Baseball, father time and injuries, that something can happen there. I mean, we just saw you know, look at Paul Goldschmith's last three years like there was a bit of a decline. DJ I can't even talk

about it. Good for Houston. They are active and they should continue to be active, and they've got a lot of different ways they can go, as long as it's lefty or switch hitting. And just said that those options are out there. And then yeah, I guess closing this one off for free agency in first base, still interested to see what happens with Pete Man. You are the

Nats gonna push that button put the money in? Are the Mets just like, No, We're we like Pete, We got Soto, like, let's go hit or the secret third option? Who knows the John Hayman mystery team, Well, Seattle pony up the money? Is there another? I mean, the Yankees are out. I'm not gonna I'm not gonna do that.

wrong if he signs with the Yankees. But you know, I don't think Paul Goldschmidt's hitting third or fourth days are still there. I think he can be a nice piece from the five to six hole.

Houston in this hot stove. I think the biggest takeaways first baseman market starts to thin a little bit, although there's still options in the free agent pool, and there's a bunch of trade options, so maybe not right. Alex Bregman needs a home. What was that?