The frozen first-base market finally started to thaw Friday, with reports that Christian Walker has agreed to a three-year, $60 million deal with the Houston Astros. While Pete Alonso remains the premium option available among his positional peers, Walker is the first from a deep first-base free-agent class to find a new home, with the right-handed slugger securing a multi-year deal from a Houston club that has been awfully busy of late.
The Astros’ signing of Walker comes on the heels of reports that Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado recently exercised his no-trade clause to block an agreed-upon deal between Houston and St.