Diamondbacks May Be Regretting Their Christian Walker Decision

Walker, this season, looks like one of the best power-hitting infielders in baseball. So far, he's posted a .255/.330/.519 slash, an .849 OPS and has 15 homers through his first 56 games — on pace for a 40-plus-homer season, barring an injury or extended slump.

He's provided a 139 wRC+ (heading into Wednesday), and is striking out at his lowest clip (19.3%) since his 2023 season with the Diamondbacks. At age 35, it looks like Walker has not simply returned to form, but improved beyond his previous ceiling.

His OPS, home run total, slugging percentage and RBI total (40) all rank in the top 10 among major league first basemen. In fact, ahead of Wednesday, and between 2025 and 2026, Walker's cumulative .254/.317/.481 slash and 3.1 fWAR rivals multi-time All-Star Pete Alonso's .254/.323/.491 slash and 2.9 fWAR.

And Walker's defense, which took a curious step backward in 2025, has returned to its previous state. He's been worth +3 Fielding Run Value, +3 Outs Above Average and +3 Defensive Runs Saved; he looks much more like a three-time Gold Glove winner again.

It's not as if his offensive numbers are dishonest, either. His expected slugging percentage (.468), average exit velocity (90.9 MPH), barrel rate (13.4%) and hard-hit rate (47.1%) are all in the top quadrant of MLB. Even his bat speed, which is one of the aspects of a player's game that deteriorates the most (and the fastest) with age, ranks in the 75th percentile of MLB at 74.2 MPH.

Should Diamondbacks consider Christian Walker reunion trade?

The Astros are in fourth place in a weak AL Central at 25-32, after one of the most brutal openings to a season imaginable. They hold the second-worst team ERA (5.12) in the majors. So, on paper, of course it makes sense to imagine Houston may sell at the deadline, particularly in a sell-high situation with Walker.

Arizona's first base contingent has been hot and cold. Vargas and Fernandez have had some extreme highs, but Arizona ranks 27th in MLB in first base OPS (.642) this season. For the month of May, the Diamondbacks rank dead last with a .510 first base OPS.

There is certainly a need, and Walker would fill it.

With that said, the AL playoff picture is extremely weak. The second and third Wild Card spots belong to the White Sox (28-27) and Twins (27-29). The Astros are a mere 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, and have won six of their last 10 games.

So there's a distinct possibility the Astros feel more inclined to buy pitching at the Deadline, rather than sell off valuable offensive pieces. After all, Houston has the fifth-best team OPS in baseball (.734).

The Diamondbacks are also close to the Luxury Tax threshold, and adding $20-plus million in salary for Walker does not seem like a move GM Mike Hazen would make unless Houston is willing to eat much of Walker's salary — which also seems entirely unrealistic, barring a significant level of prospect or player investment on Arizona's side of a potential trade.