Shocking Twist: Astros’ Plans for Christian Walker Take a Hit! Yankees Enter the Fray, Engaging in Talks with Coveted Free Agent
The Houston Astros are currently stuck in limbo.
With Alex Bregman still on the open market and weighing his decisions, the Astros remain optimistic they will keep their franchise cornerstone as part of this team going forward, but there is a chance he ultimately decides to leave.
Knowing that, general manager Dana Brown said Houston will “listen” to trade offers centered around their stars Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez since the two are scheduled to hit free agency after the upcoming season.
While any deal involving those two isn’t expected to be likely, it’s interesting to note this is the mindset the front office currently has during the Winter Meetings.
Pivoting back to the current needs the Astros have and would like to solve before the next campaign begins, first base is a position that could use a major upgrade considering the poor production they got from there this past year.
Christian Walker is viewed as a target, giving Houston some major power in their lineup while also adding elite defense in the field.
However, it sounds like he could also be nearing a free agency decision.
Per Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Walker’s reps and the New York Yankees are currently “in dialogue” as they pivot to find some replacements after missing out on Juan Soto.
“I believe based on what I’ve heard from sources the last couple days is that Christian Walker, at the moment, is more of a priority for the Yankees than Pete Alonso would be … Maybe it’s a three-year deal at a healthy AAV,” the insider stated.
There was no timeline given, but the Yankees have to make a splash or else it’s going to be tough to recover for their fan base after Soto chose the New York Mets over them.
If that’s the type of contract Walker is looking to sign, then that could be of interest to the Astros.
It will be interesting to see how this progresses, especially since Houston isn’t expected to go after high-profile first baseman if Bregman returns.
