Christian Walker a ‘dream target’ for Astros amid Guerrero Jr. buzz

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker is reportedly a “dream target” for the Houston Astros ahead of the MLB trade deadline, according to the The New York Post Jean-Pierre Heyman.

Heyman reported that the Astros are looking for a starter who can hit, potentially a first baseman, and Walker is the player they would prefer.

Walker, who will be a free agent after the season, has 20 homers, 59 RBIs and a .267 batting average to start the season. Getting him before the July 30 trade deadline would certainly be the upgrade the Astros are looking for, but it would likely take a lot of work to convince Arizona to trade him.

The report of Houston’s pursuit of Walker comes amid buzz surrounding Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In June, an Astros insider Michael Schwab Guerrero has been reported to be one of Houston’s top trade targets, which would be another potential upgrade at first base.

It’s unclear how aggressive the Astros are willing to be to improve, but they’d likely have to come up with a big package for Walker or Guerrero.

After a somewhat shaky start to the year, Houston has managed to stay above .500 over the past month. The Astros have won 12 of their last 14 games and currently sit in second place in the American League West.