Astros Reportedly Receiving Low Trade Interest in Slugger with Ugly Contract

The Houston Astros have not had any suitors in one of their movable players.

Aug 31, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown (right) talks before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Minute Maid Park. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros entered the offseason with the goal of improving upon a bit of a mess of a season, which saw them miss the playoffs for the first time in close to a decade.

In order to make it happen, general manager Dana Brown is going to have to shake some things up, and often that involves getting bad money off the books and changing up the roster. One way they could potentially do that this offseason is by getting rid of a signing from a year ago in first baseman Christian Walker.

The veteran has been the subject of trade rumors since the season ended after the first campaign of his three-year, $60 million deal did not go well. If Houston is indeed trying to deal him away though, by the sounds of it, they are not getting much interest.

In an article this week at the winter meetings from team insider Chandler Rome of The Athletic (subscription required), it was reported that those conversations are indeed occurring, but that nobody is biting on Walker.

Astros Not Yet Receiving Trade Interest in Walker

Sep 27, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker (8) tosses his bat after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the ninth inning at Angel Stadium. | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

"Walker’s age, salary, six-team no-trade provision and subpar 2025 season won’t make him as valuable as Paredes," Rome wrote. "It’s unsurprising, then, that interest in Walker is minimal, according to multiple team sources, but it’s not as if he is unmovable."

Rome pointed out that even in what was unquestionably a down year for Walker, he still led the team in home runs with 27 with an OPS just below .800 after the All-Star break as he started to heat up down the stretch.

On the surface, keeping Walker in Houston would not be a disastrous result, and this seemed like the preference from Brown at the start of the offseason. In an ideal world though, they are able to move on.

Astros Replacing Walker Would Be Best Case Scenario

Sep 13, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker (8) reacts after hitting a two run home run against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Truist Park. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

When Houston handed Walker the deal they did, it was given out with the intention of competing for a championship in 2025. Instead, it became apparent that at a minimum, the franchise is in a re-tooling era, and a first baseman going into his age 35 season with numbers trending the wrong direction does not exactly align with that.

Walker did not get on base nearly as much, and his OBP on the season declined to .297 after it was .335 the year before. With plate discipline getting worse over time, it's often a sign that a player's best days are behind him, and that looks to be the case here.

A contending team in need of a first baseman without the infield logjam that the Astros have may be interested in his services, and though he would not command a haul, getting out of at least a portion of the contract would be a victory.

Brown will likely keep on shopping Walker, and if he can find a suitor willing to offer at least some kind of return value, it will not be a surprise to see the slugger shipped out of town after just one year in Houston.