Astros might have one clear path to trade Christian Walker but it will be costly

The Houston Astros have been trying to trade Christian Walker all winter long, but have yet to find a suitor. Houston cannot afford to go into the season with both Walker and Isaac Paredes on the roster, but the $40 million remaining on the Gold Glover's contract makes trading him rather difficult. Believe it or not, the Washington Nationals could be a landing spot for Walker, but Astros fans won't like the price tag.

While this scenario is purely hypothetical and shouldn't be viewed as a substantiated trade rumor, the Astros and Nats match up well. Houston is looking to gain some salary relief while at the same time eliminating the glut of corner infielders on their roster. All signs point toward the desire to keep Paredes, move him to first base, and trade Walker.

One look at the Nationals roster will show you that they're rebuilding. Washington has already shipped their All-Star pitcher, MacKenzie Gore, to the Texas Rangers, and they're also shopping shortstop CJ Abrams. The Nats are leaning into their youth movement, but trading for Walker could bring a veteran presence to the clubhouse.

The Nationals could be a trade match for Astros infielder Christian Walker, but there's a catch

The Nationals, however, are not dumb. After watching Walker struggle during his first season in Houston, no team is going to sacrifice a top player or prospect and take on the $40 million remaining on that contract. But the Nats may be willing to, in effect, buy a prospect from the Astros.

What does that mean? Sometimes, clubs will attach a top-tier prospect to a bad contract in order to tempt another organization to make a deal. In this instance, if Houston sent Walker to Washington, along with one of their top prospects and a little cash to help cover the salary, the Astros may be able to work out a deal with the Nationals.

In return, perhaps Houston could find that left-handed bat they've been seeking all offseason. Outfielder Daylen Lile is coming off a fine rookie season in which he hit .299/.347/.498 with nine home runs and 41 RBI.

But a bat like that won't come cheap — especially if part of the return for Washington is Walker's aging bat and poorly aging contract. This is where the pain comes in, Astros fans. In order to pull off this type of trade, the Nats would undoubtedly be looking to land one of Houston's top young players.

Would you be willing to package Walker with a top prospect like Xavier Neyens? If not, then prepare for Walker to remain with the team throughout the season. Or, the Astros will have to eat a ton of Walker's remaining salary to move him. Frankly, even if a prospect like Neyens or Walker Janek was included in a deal for Walker, Houston would still have to include some cash — just not as much.

The Astros have boxed themselves as they prepare to head to West Palm Beach next week. You can feel the tension rising, and if both Walker and Paredes are present when spring training gets underway, it's only going to get worse. This type of deal may not sit well with most Astros fans, but it's arguably the best path Houston will find if they're hoping to offload Walker before Opening Day.