Astros’ $20 million slugger named most overpaid first baseman in MLB originally appeared on The Sporting News

The Houston Astros have been spending a lot on this iteration of the team, even amid the departures of multiple top players on offense. Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman departed in the offseason, and to take their place on offense, the Astros signed a free-agent first baseman in Christian Walker.

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They signed him to a huge three-year, $60 million deal, which pays Walker $20 million per year. As Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report suggests, this deal makes Walker the most overpaid first baseman in baseball.

“Over the past three seasons, Walker supplied the Diamondbacks with incredible value.” Miller writes. “Instead of $20 million for one year, he cost them a combined $20 million for three years in which he both won a Gold Glove and posted an OPS of .800 or better in each.”

This production, offensively and defensively, has fallen off drastically in Houston. Not only is he playing worse defensively, but he’s also taken a big step back offensively, with a .701 OPS this season, .102 points lower than his 2024 OPS of .803.

If he were producing at this clip on a lesser deal, it’d just be a disappointment. But, considering Walker made $20 million over three years compared to the $20 million he’s making in 2025, the Astros’ first baseman is being grossly overpaid for his production.

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With the addition of Carlos Correa, Isaac Paredes might transition to first base in the offseason, which could allow the Astros to part ways with Walker.

While Walker has been a letdown, even though not as much of late with his .866 OPS since July 1st, there’s another first baseman the Astros are paying who is also a contender for being the most overpaid first baseman in baseball.

That player is Jose Abreu, for whom the Astros are on the hook for $19.5 million this season. He’s not played in 2025, and he was even more of a disappointment than Walker has been.

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The Astros’ money allotted to first base between the two is nearly $40 million. Getting those contracts off the books would be huge for the Astros, especially with Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez, Jeremy Pena, and others set to hit free agency in the coming years.

For now, while Walker is doing a lot to turn his 2025 season around, he’s the most overpaid first baseman in MLB, according to Miller. But, if it’s not him, it’s surely Abreu, who’s making nearly as much as Walker, and has yet to play this season.

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