Why Astros should use 2026 disaster to sell high and trade a $60 million slugger originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Houston Astros have been having a very rough 2026 MLB season. Between their struggles with the pitching staff and the plethora of injuries all across the roster, it’s been a disaster so far.
While things are going very poorly this season, the Astros do have a few sluggers playing great, most notably Yordan Alvarez, who is making an MVP case. While his name has floated in trade rumors, he’s almost certainly going nowhere this season.
But the same cannot be said for a different thriving slugger. Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter made the case that the Astros should sell high on their $60 million slugger, Christian Walker.
“If a struggling Astros team wants to get out from under his contract, now is the time,” Rueter writes.
But why should the Astros use this disastrous season to offload Walker in a trade? There are a few reasons why Walker should be dealt this season, and they all revolve around their attempts to trade him this past offseason.
Why Astros should trade Christian Walker this season
This past offseason, one of the biggest storylines for the Astros was their infield logjam. Carlos Correa, Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve, Isaac Paredes, and Christian Walker made up the core five infielders who were presenting a problem for the team.
There were plenty of trade rumors, and Paredes was one of the most talked-about names. But that was only the case because no team wanted to trade for Walker.
In 154 games, Walker had 0.2 bWAR with 27 homers, a .238 batting average, a .717 OPS, and 98 OPS+. He also had $40 million left on his three-year, $60 million deal. What team would want such a player?
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However, through just 42 games this season, Walker has posted 1.5 bWAR with nine homers, a .276 batting average, .864 OPS, and 140 OPS+.
He’s a lot more realistic as a trade target for teams this season, and a team that needs first base help, like the Pittsburgh Pirates, would make a lot of sense as a trade partner now that Walker’s performing a lot better.
After trying to trade him all offseason, the Astros have seen Walker return to elite form this season, and now they should trade him if they can.
Walker’s trade value will never be higher than it is now. With the Astros poor record of 16-26, they should be more than willing to part with a player like Walker after failing to trade him all offseason.
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