Astros should move on from Christian Walker — Here’s who could replace him

The time has come for both Christian Walker and the Houston Astros. The inevitable parting of ways that probably should have happened following last season should absolutely happen this offseason.

Walker hasn't been unplayable like Jose Abreu, he just hasn't had the impact the Astros had hoped for. With a glut of infielders, it should be obvious to everyone who the odd man out should be based on performance.

This isn't to say Walker has been a total bust. 29 HR and 87 RBI don't grow on trees. However, to have a batter with a sub .230 AVG and sub .300 OBP at a premium offensive position like first base is untenable. For the production Walker did deliver, he failed in so many opportunities that it will cause even the most casual fan to wonder what kind of production would his spot in the lineup have with someone else there?

In fact, after April 30, he had only one month where he hit better than .210 (he hit .223 in June). Five months of atrocious offense is unacceptable for a first baseman. Even worse when you consider he was supposed to be the primary protection for Yordan Alvarez, a job he failed at so badly after April 30 that he was eventually moved down the order despite his HR.

Here are the Astros options at first base should they move on from Christian Walker this offseason:

1) Move Isaac Paredes to 1B.

This is the simplest move, but there some nuance to this. Paredes eventually replaced Walker as Alvarez' primary protection and his numbers relfected it. After a slow start, Paredes went on to hit .262 with a .360 OBP and .806 OPS. That is the kind of OPS the team hoped to get from Walker.

Paredes' 25 HR, 94 RBI and 71 walks were the second-highest totals of his career. His doubles (27), average and OBP were the highest of his career. He also played in a career-high 155 games.

Paredes has always been primarily a third baseman, though he does have first base experience. He just doesn't have much of it. In fact, Paredes has only started 45 games at 1B in his MLB career. He has actually started more games at 2B (56) in his career, and it seems the Astros have determined that Paredes is not a good bet at 2B. His defensive metrics at 1B are below league average, despite the small sample size.

Paredes is capable, but whether truly learning the position will have a negative impact on him is worthy of exploration.

2) Move Carlos Correa to 1B.

We have no idea what, if any, lingering effects Correa's ankle surgery will have on his mobility. It could be none, it could be more than none. What we know is that Correa wanted to move to 3B two years ago to take some of the toll off his body physically. We also know he stated he was willing to play anywhere on the infield just a few weeks ago.

There is no place on the infield that will take less toll on his body than first base. Correa would make a huge target (He is 6-3, Walker and Paredes are 5-11), he is adept at short hops, his baseball IQ is off the charts, and Carlos is natually athletic. All of those things should help Correa make a strong transition to 1B should he really want to make it.

Correa is already the vocal leader of the team. If he is on board with a position switch, no one on the team would have the status to refuse anything asked of them (although that doesn't seem to be an issue for the Astros). However, it's his sacrifice and willingness to do anything that helps the team that would permeate the clubhouse, even more than it already does.

Correa has all the tools to be an excellent first baseman if he wants to be. Moving Correa could also be an easier transition for him mentally as a player than the younger Paredes, who would likely need to work harder to learn the position defensively.

3) Work their MiLB Player of the Year Jason Schiavone in at 1B.

Schiavone plays both catcher and first base, and was named the Astros 2026 MiLB Player of the Year after becoming just the 3rd Astros minor leaguer to post a 30/30 season and the first catcher to do so at the minor league level in any organization since 1981.

Schiavone ascended the system in a hurry this year, moving from High-A Asheville (where he posted a 1.218 OPS in 37 games) to Double-A Corpus Christi (14 HR, 44 RBI, 49 BB, 20 SB in 283 AB) before playing the final 9 games of his season at Triple-A Sugar Land (.924 OPS).

Schiavone has shown capable of playing both C and 1B defensively as well. While it may be considered a bit of a rush to move him up with only 26 Triple-A AB. the team did set a precedent with Cam Smith who had only 19 AB at Double-A before the Astros decided to put him on the MLB roster. In fact, Smith had only 115 professional AB total before joining the Astros roster. A strong spring could have him in the mix as a primary 1B.

4) Sign free agent 1B Ty France.

France is coming off arguably his best professional season at age 31, hitting .295 with a .363 OBP and .865 OPS for the San Diego Padres this past season. France had 21 HR and 72 RBI in 133 games.

France also was stellar defensively, posting an 8 OAA (Outs Above Average) which was the 2nd best mark in MLB.

France made a total of just $2M after incentives in 2026, so even with a raise, his contract should be very reasonable.

It should be noted that a situation of someone other than Correa or Paredes playing 1B would likely indicate that the team has traded Jeremy Pena and Correa has moved to short, or that a significant injury occurred that required the team to add a 1B. Otherwise, the team would be back to the same infield logjam they entered 2026 with and would be entering 2027 with if they do not find a taker for Walker.

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