The frozen first-base market finally started to thaw Friday, with reports that Christian Walker has agreed to a three-year, $60 million deal with the Houston Astros. While Pete Alonso remains the premium option available among his positional peers, Walker is the first from a deep first-base free-agent class to find a new home, with the right-handed slugger securing a multi-year deal from a Houston club that has been awfully busy of late.
The Astros’ signing of Walker comes on the heels of reports that Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado recently exercised his no-trade clause to block an agreed upon deal between Houston and St. Louis that would’ve sent the 10-time Gold Glover to H-Town. Such a deal would have in theory moved Isaac Paredes — acquired from Chicago in the Kyle Tucker blockbuster — to first base, with Arenado supplanting long-term star Alex Bregman at the hot corner. Instead, Arenado said no, sending Houston back to the drawing board.
Additional reporting signaled that Arenado’s decision did …