He left for the Dodgers killer AL, Walker's three-year, 87 billion-dollar battle for Bregman to Houston
Dec 21, 2024
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He sent out the leading outfielder in a trade and recruited a big FA first baseman.
ESPN reported on the 21st (Korea time) 'In summary, Houston agreed to a three-year, $60 million contract with FA first baseman Christian Walker' The contract will be officially announced once it passes the medical exam.
Walker played in 130 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks this season, batting .251 (120 hits in 479 at-bats), 26 homers, 84 RBIs and an OPS of 0.803. Career High is in 2023. He hit .258 (150 hits in 582 at-bats) with 33 home runs, 103 RBIs, 86 runs, 11 steals, and an OPS of .830 in 157 games.
Walker's contract, which was expected by local media in the early days of the FA opening, was $57 million for ESPN for three years, $44 million for The Athletic for two years, $60 million for MLBTR for three years, and similar contracts were made.
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Houston originally planned to re-sign Bregman, the biggest fish in the FA's third baseman, but had no choice but to give up because of the soaring price. Bregman, who is demanding a total of $200 million with agent Scott Boras at the forefront, is currently drawing keen attention from big market clubs such as the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, Cubs and Boston Red Sox.
Houston star Jose Altuve urged him to renew his contract in the offseason, saying, `We can't maintain the power we have without Bregman.' But now we have to open up a new horizon with Walker.
The Arenado trade was canceled because he, a party to the provisional agreement between the two clubs, vetoed it. St. Louis said it would keep talking, but Arenado's trip to Houston is likely to have never happened.
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He played full-time in the big league for the first time in 2019, showing off his solid offense and defense capabilities, and rising to the top player as a rain. He was twenty-eight years old. As his skills blossomed late, it took time to qualify for FA. He played in 832 games with a batting average of 0.250, 720 hits, 147 home runs, and an OPS of 0.793. In particular, Walker has won the NL first baseman's gold glove for the third consecutive year since 2022, raising his defense to the highest level.
First base was the biggest weakness among Houston's positions. This year, the total OPS of first basemen was 0.651, ranking 26th out of 30 teams. Some analysts say that Houston's home stadium Daikin Park is suitable for Walker, a right-handed catcher, because the left fence is short.
Walker is ' this yearhad a reputation for 'Just Killer' In nine games against the Dodgers, he recorded a batting average of 0.412 (14 hits in 34 at-bats), nine homers, 15 RBIs, an OPS of 1.765 and six games at Dodger Stadium, with a batting average of 0.440 (11 hits in 25 at-bats), seven homers, 11 RBIs and an OPS of 1.877, respectively.
jhno@sportschosun.com
