Having been one of the best all-around first baseman in MLB for the past three seasons, Christian Walker has cashed in with a deal from the Houston Astros.

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand first reported the two sides agreed to terms. USA Today's Bob Nightengale added it's a three-year deal worth $60 million.

It took a long time for Walker to finally get an extended look in the big leagues. He was originally a fourth-round draft pick by the Baltimore Orioles in 2012, but he only appeared in 13 MLB games before being waived before the start of spring training in 2017.

The Cincinnati Reds claimed Walker off waivers in March 2017, but he was waived by the club a few weeks later. The Arizona Diamondbacks added him to their roster, starting him out in Triple-A.

After trading Paul Goldschmidt to the St. Louis Cardinals in December 2018, Walker became Arizona's starting first baseman in 2019. He had a breakout season with a .259/.348/.476 slash line and 29 homers in 152 games.

Since the start of the 2022 season, Walker's average year has seen him hit .250/.332/.481 with 32 homers and 94 RBI. He has won three straight Gold Glove awards from 2022 to '24 and finished 23rd in NL MVP voting in 2023.

Walker is one of four first baseman who has been worth at least 10 FanGraphs' wins above replacement over the past three seasons (10.4). He ranks behind only Freddie Freeman (18.6), Matt Olson (12.3) and Goldschmidt (10.6).

Despite being an older free agent—he will turn 34 on March 28—Walker's all-around ability should allow him to age more gracefully than a traditional power-first hitter at first base.

Given how difficult it can be to find quality power hitters at a relatively affordable cost on the open market, Walker is a great addition for the Astros in their quest to make the playoffs in 2025.

The Astros are an impossible team to figure out. Trading Kyle Tucker while Alex Bregman remains a free agent would suggest they are planning to take a step back in 2025.

Instead, the move to sign Walker at least swings the pendulum back in favor of planning to compete next season. It also comes after they tried to trade for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, but he invoked his no-trade clause to block the move.

Whatever the big-picture plan is in Houston, Walker absolutely fills a huge need for the team next season. Jon Singleton, who hit .234/.321/.386 with 13 homers in 2024, was penciled in as the starting first baseman.

Astros manager Joe Espada can plug Walker into the No. 4 spot in the lineup, behind Jose Altuve, Isaac Paredes and Yordan Alvarez. That's a very good quartet at the top of the order with all four players having an on-base percentage of at least .335 last season.

Paredes and Walker could see a spike in their power playing home games in Houston with the Crawford Boxes in left field being just 315 feet away from home plate.

Despite an unusual approach to roster-building this offseason, the Astros still look formidable on paper. They should be favored to win the AL West for the fifth consecutive year.