Four names to know as Astros ponder free agents

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The weeks leading up to the MLB Winter Meetings next month in Dallas could be active for the Astros, who are pushing hard to make some deals to upgrade their roster. The club, of course, is still hoping to re-sign veteran third baseman Alex Bregman, but Houston won’t stand still until a Bregman decision is made.

The Astros would like to beef up production at first base and will need to address third if it appears Bregman won’t return. They are also in the market for bullpen help, especially with Ryan Pressly being asked about in trades. And you can never have enough starting pitching. The health of Luis Garcia, who missed all of 2024 and most of ’23, remains in question, underscoring the need for another starter.

With that in mind, here are four free agents to watch for the Astros:

1B Carlos Santana
The Astros ranked 26th of 30 MLB teams with a .651 OPS by their first basemen. Santana, a switch-hitter, could be the perfect short-term solution at the position. He will turn 39 in April, but had a 2024 slash line of .238/.328/.420 for the Twins with 23 homers, 26 doubles and 71 RBIs in 150 games. Santana also won his first career Gold Glove Award. He’s tough to strike out, whiffing just 16.7% of his plate appearances while walking 10.9%. Santana had a .934 OPS against left-handers and .676 against right-handers.

IF Jorge Polanco
Polanco, who turns 32 on July 5, recently had arthroscopic surgery to repair damage to the patellar tendon in his left knee. The injury lingered for a significant chunk of the season, impacting both his bat and glove. The switch-hitter had a career-low .651 OPS in 118 games with the Mariners, but in his final 63 games, he posted a .724 OPS and hit 11 of his 16 homers. Overall, Polanco slashed .213/.296/.355 with a career-high 29.2% strikeout rate. He had a mark of 92 wRC+ -- league average is 100 -- and 0.3 fWAR. Polanco has played mostly middle infield in his career but would play the corner infield spots in Houston.

1B Christian Walker
Walker missed five weeks in 2024 due to an oblique injury, but he belted 26 homers in 130 games and posted his third straight season with an OPS north of .800. The three-time Gold Glove Award winner is the best all-around first baseman on the market, but he’ll be 34 next March, making a longer-term deal less likely. He has put up nearly identical offensive numbers for the past three years, including OPS+ figures of 125, 122 and 121. If not for the injury, he likely would have socked 30-plus homers for the third straight season. Walker has plenty of patience at the plate, as well as big-time power when he connects.

RHP Yusei Kikuchi
Don’t rule out a Kikuchi return in 2025 just yet. Kikuchi excelled with the Astros after coming over in a trade with the Blue Jays, going 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 60 innings across 10 starts. He fit in well with the Astros, who altered his pitch usage, and seemed to like it in Houston. The club has at least kept the door open on a possible return.