HOUSTON ¨C There¡¯s a lot that Christian Walker likes about Houston. He¡¯s admittedly intrigued by the barbecue scene, is tantalized by the short porch at what will be Daikin Park in 2025 and is thrilled at the chance to play for a team that¡¯s been to the playoffs eight years in a row.

¡°To come to the ballpark every day and there¡¯s a standard and you know what you¡¯re getting, you know what to expect, from the fan base, from your teammates, from your staff, it¡¯s everything that we were looking for,¡± Walker said Monday after putting on a No. 13 Astros jersey. ¡°It checked a lot of boxes.¡±

The Astros signed Walker to a three-year deal worth $60 million, a source told MLB.com. Walker, 33, has quietly established himself as one of the game¡¯s top first basemen over the past three seasons, pairing strong production at the plate with elite glove work. He¡¯s won three consecutive National League Gold Gloves at first base.

¡°Once free agency was approaching, Amanda [Walker's wife] and I, this was one of our teams we were hoping it would work out for a while now,¡± he said. ¡°This is my first time going through free agency, so I didn¡¯t know what to expect. It¡¯s circling, circling, circling and it happens quick. It had some momentum. We wanted to get it done; they wanted to get it done. It was a no-brainer.¡±

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The right-handed slugger ranks fifth among primary first basemen with 11.4 WAR (per Baseball-Reference) since the beginning of 2022, recording 95 homers, 281 RBIs and an .813 OPS (123 OPS+) over 1,880 plate appearances and leading the position with 38 Outs Above Average in that span.

¡°Getting a guy like Christian, it¡¯s going to take our team to another level,¡± Astros general manager Dana Brown said. ¡°His defense, we¡¯ve been missing that at first base. We¡¯ve been at the bottom and now we get a guy who¡¯s been at the top.¡±

If not for a left oblique strain that kept him out of action for more than a month in 2024, Walker likely would have reached the 30-homer plateau for the third straight season. He finished with 26 homers and 84 RBIs in 130 games for the D-backs. Though Walker has more of an all-fields approach at the plate, he¡¯s sure to benefit a bit from the Crawford Boxes, which sit 315 feet from home plate.

¡°I try not to change who I am at the plate, but very excited about that short porch,¡± he said. ¡°Playing at Chase [Field] so long, it¡¯s a big park. This can be at times, too, but the atmosphere on the field as an opposing player, it¡¯s fun to play. It¡¯s a challenge.¡±

The Astros traded All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker on Dec. 13, acquiring third baseman Isaac Paredes and two other players from the Cubs, and the signing of Walker means two-time World Series champion third baseman Alex Bregman won¡¯t return to Houston, either. Tucker and Bregman¡¯s production will be replaced in the lineup by Paredes (third base) and Walker (first base).

Houston has gotten poor offensive output at first base the past two seasons, beginning with the signing of former AL MVP Jos¨¦ Abreu to a three-year, $58.5 million deal in November 2022. Abreu was released in June after posting a .362 OPS with two homers in 35 games in ¡¯24, and Jon Singleton got most of the starts at first.

¡°We knew we had to get better at first base,¡± Brown said. ¡°We know that we¡¯re going to have a really good first baseman that can defend and also hit the ball in the seats from time to time. He knows how to run the bases, do a lot of little things the right way. He¡¯s going to bring some leadership to the club, as well.¡±

Walker declined a qualifying offer from the D-backs, so the Astros will lose their second- and fifth-highest picks in the 2025 Draft, plus $1 million from their international bonus pool for the upcoming signing period when the deal is official. But they will also receive a pick when Bregman signs somewhere else.

¡°I¡¯ve been watching this team for a while now and the edge, the energy, the expectation, you can tell they¡¯re going out there with a standard,¡± Walker said. ¡°I¡¯m very excited to be a part of it.¡±