Photos: Kevin Abele (left), Frank Jansky (middle), Joe Robbins (right)/Icon Sportswire
New Astros first baseman Christian Walker has averaged 11 Defensive Runs Saved per season over the last three seasons. He tallied 9 and 7 Runs Saved in each of the last two seasons, respectively.
The Astros ranked last with -14 Runs Saved from their first basemen in 2024. In fact, they’ve recorded negative Runs Saved at that position in each of the last three seasons.
If you look at all of the offseason moves, the Astros’ signing of Walker has a chance to be the most impactful from a defensive perspective. A potential 25-run improvement is huge …
Except that Walker was held out of a spring training game on Wednesday with a sore oblique. Obliques are tricky injuries. Walker has missed time due to oblique injuries before. The Astros have others who could play first base on their roster but none of them have Walker’s skill.
Thinking about this some more leads to the question, what were some of the other most impactful acquisitions from a defensive perspective?
The other one that most stands out is the Blue Jays’ trade for second baseman Andrés Giménez. Gimenez has 58 Runs Saved at that position the last three seasons, 20 more than the next-closest player (Marcus Semien). Second base was a logjam for the Blue Jays last season, with six players playing between 21 and 56 games there. Their combined defensive output was 1 Run Saved. Giménez represents a big upgrade.
The Guardians may dip a bit at second base, but first base got an upgrade with the trade of Josh Naylor and the reacquisition of Carlos Santana.
First base was the Guardians’ weakest defensive position last season (-6 Runs Saved). Santana’s 20 Runs Saved at first base the last two seasons were one run shy of most in MLB there. There is some risk in Santana’s age. He turns 39 on April 8.
The Mets’ willingness to swap out Harrison Bader for Jose Siri as their primary center fielder makes us think that the team bought into what Runs Saved showed – that Bader, despite his rep and his penchant for terrific plays, wasn’t as good as he looked in the past.
The Mets finished with -6 Runs Saved in center field last season, their 3rd straight season with a negative total there. Bader tallied -2 Runs Saved. Siri had his best year in center field last season, finishing with 12 Runs Saved. It’s just a question of whether he’ll hit enough to stay in the lineup and be fully impactful.
The Rays lost Siri but gained middle infielder Ha-Seong Kim, signing him this offseason despite a shoulder surgery. From a defensive perspective the big upgrade would come at second base, where Kim saved 10 Runs in 2023 and Brandon Lowe has totaled -6 Runs Saved the last two seasons. Kim can also play shortstop, though the Rays have a very good defender there, albeit one whose offense struggles, in Taylor Walls.
One under-the-radar move that boosted a team’s defense was in Cincinnati, where the Reds traded for catcher Jose Trevino. Trevino is good enough defensively – 16 Runs Saved in 125 games over the last two seasons, 21 the year before that – that he may move Tyler Stephenson, who is not a good defender, into more time at first base or designated hitter. Trevino is another one whose hitting is needed to give his defense a chance to be impactful.
Honorable Mentions: Kyle Tucker (Cubs), Isiah Kiner-Falefa (Pirates), Michael A. Taylor (White Sox), Josh Rojas (White Sox), Kevin Newman (Angels), Kyle Higashioka (Rangers)
