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HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros welcomed first baseman Christian Walker to the team Monday, in one of two moves that almost certainly marks the end of Alex Bregman 's time in Houston. But the tenure of Bregman, a two-time All Star, didn't end without a concentrated effort the club was satisfied with. On a day when Walker officially signed a $60 million, three-year contract that will pay him $20 million annually, which came just more than a week after the Astros acquired infielder Isaac Paredes from Cubs in the trade that sent outfielder Kyle Tucker to Chicago, the talk around the team seemed to focus more on who won't be back with the Astros next season. "The way I view it right now is Paredes is going to play third base and Walker is going to play first base," general manager Dana Brown said Monday. "And Bregman's still a free agent." The Astros had hoped to re-sign Bregman, the team's third baseman for the last nine seasons, but Brown said the negotiations stalled. "I thought we made a really competitive offer, showing that we wanted him back," he said. "But we had to pursue other options. We couldn't just sit there. We locked in Paredes early in that trade, knowing that he could play third or first and then when the opportunity to add another bat came up we just jumped on it." The addition of a first baseman was a priority this offseason for the Astros after they released struggling first baseman Jose Abreu less than halfway through a $58.5 million, three-year contract. "We knew we had to get better at first base," Brown said. "We pursued (Walker) and we're excited to have him because we know that we're going to have a really good first baseman that can defend and also hit the ball on the seats from time to time." Walker was attracted by the sustained success of the Astros, who won their first two World Series titles in 2017 and '22. "I've been watching this team for a while now, and that edge, the energy, the expectation, you can tell that they're going out there with a standard," he said. "And I'm very excited to be a part of it." Walker is looking forward playing on an infield with star second baseman Jose Altuve . He's fascinated by the success and consistency Altuve has had over his 14-year career. "I get a chance to learn from Jose Altuve," Walker said. "Nothing really gets better than that." Brown was asked what he would tell fans disappointed to see the Astros lose another star after George Springer and Carlos Correa left as free agents in recent years. Editor's Picks MLB offseason grades: Red Sox sign Buehler, Rangers add Pederson in pre-holiday spree 7h Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield MLB free agency tracker: Keep up with the offseason moves 7h ESPN Passan's hot stove temperature check: What's next in MLB free agency and on the trade market 4d Jeff Passan "I would just tell the fans that look, we are very focused on remaining competitive," he said. "We're very focused on winning division and going back to the World Series, and I think with these additions that we have the ability to do that. So, I feel strongly that we're going to be picked to win the division first off. And if our pitching holds up, which I feel strongly about, as well, I think we'll get deep into the postseason." The Astros won the AL West for a fourth straight year this season before being swept by the Tigers in an AL Wild Card Series. Walker, who turns 34 during the opening week of the season, hit .251 with 26 homers, 84 RBIs, 55 walks and 133 strikeouts this year. That was down from 2023, when he batted .258 with 33 homers and 103 RBIs as the Diamondbacks reached the World Series. Walker played in 130 games this year, down from 157 in 2023 and 160 in 2022. He was sidelined between July 29 and Sept. 3 by a strained left oblique. He spent the last eight seasons with the Diamondbacks, where he hit 146 homers with 442 RBIs and a .251 batting average. He didn't secure a full-time job in the big leagues until 2019. He's provided consistent power over the past six seasons and has grown into an elite defensive first baseman, winning Gold Gloves in each of the past three seasons. Walker played college ball at South Carolina and was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2012. He made his big league debut with the Orioles in 2014 but couldn't stick in the majors and was claimed off waivers by Atlanta, Cincinnati and Arizona in a five-week span. Walker's contract has a limited no-trade provision allowing him to block deals to six teams without his consent. He would earn $200,000 for winning an MVP, $175,000 for second, $150,000 for third, $125,000 for fourth and $100,000 for fifth. Walker also would get $100,000 for World Series MVP, $50,000 for League Championship Series MVP and $75,000 apiece for making the All-Star Game or winning a Gold Glove or Silver Slugger Award. Infielder Grae Kessinger was designated for assignment to open a roster spot. The Associated Press contributed to this report.188jili casino login 。

It’s not hard to understand the value tight end Josh Oliver brings to the Vikings. ADVERTISEMENT Just listen to the way people talk about him. “He’s an animal,” tight end T.J. Hockenson said. “Once he gets his hands on somebody, it’s kind of like, ‘Good luck.'” It was similar sentiment from offensive coordinator Wes Phillips. “He’s the best blocking tight end in the league, and that’s no disrespect to anybody else,” Phillips said. “We will take Josh over anybody in this league in the role that he’s in. It’s not only that he’s physically imposing as a 270-pound man. It’s the attitude that he plays with out there.” ADVERTISEMENT What are the Vikings losing now that Oliver has been ruled out with an ankle injury? His absence will be felt most when the Vikings try to run the ball against the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field. Though he has proved he can contribute in the passing game, Oliver has been a force in the running game since signing with the Vikings. There have been multiple times this season that Oliver had singlehandedly carved out space for running back Aaron Jones to go to work. That’s partially why Hockenson has played only about 50% of the offensive snaps since returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament a few weeks ago. Even if the Vikings are often telegraphing a run when Oliver is on the field, they don’t care because they feel that strongly about his ability as a blocker. “You see it every single week,” Phillips said. “He’s moving large men and putting them on the ground.” ADVERTISEMENT It’s safe to assume Oliver would suit up for the Vikings if he were able to do so. He’s been playing through a wrist injury for the past few weeks, for example, and has still been extremely effective at the point of attack. How tough is it to replace Oliver in a vacuum? “It’s a big challenge because of all the things he does on a snap in and snap out basis,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “We will see some guys make some impacts on some different downs and distances than we have maybe seen up to this point.” ADVERTISEMENT The only other players on the injury report for the Vikings are tight end Nick Muse (hand) and edge rusher Gabe Murphy (knee). Both players were officially listed as questionable and being full participants in the walkthrough on Friday afternoon at TCO Performance Center. ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .Football teams across the Northern Section are preparing for a rainy Friday night of playoff games. For many teams Friday will be the second round of NSCIF playoffs. For teams like Pleasant Valley and Foothill in D-II, it will be their first game of section playoffs after first-round byes. For many others it will be second round semifinal matchups, and in Division IV the matchup between Winters and East Nicolaus is the division’s Northern Section championship. That game has been moved to Saturday at 1 p.m.; Northern Section commissioner Scott Johnson confirmed there was a mutual agreement between the two programs, who felt with a section championship on the line, they would get better break in weather with Winters’ home field being on grass. Johnson added that five of the seven games scheduled for this weekend will be played on grass fields — Pleasant Valley and Foothill’s fields in Division II the only exceptions — and that all schools are communicating with everyone involved. Johnson said teams could opt to move the games as late as Friday morning to a later date or change of time, as long as enough time is given to all involved including media, officials, MaxPreps, section officials and others. As of Thursday at 12:30 p.m., the only other change that has been made is that in Division III: No. 5 Gridley (8-3) playing at No. 1 Lassen (8-3) has been moved from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. “We’re trying to stay status quo,” Johnson said. Kicking off in D-II, No. 1 Pleasant Valley (7-3) hosts No. 4 Enterprise (8-3) at 7 p.m. at Asgard Yard in Chico. The Vikings received a first-round bye while the Hornets came from behind to defeat Shasta 26-20 in the quarterfinals. The Hornets outscored Shasta 20-0 in the second half to advance. In the regular season Enterprise and PV faced off on Nov. 1 in another rainy game, and the Vikings defeated the Hornets 38-17. PV threw for three touchdowns and ran for two in that game. Lucas Benson had 19 carries for 156 yards and one TD in addition to a 19-yard TD pass, and QB Joseph Garcia threw for 149 yards and two TDs. Enterprise QB JJ Johnson threw for 226 yards and two TDs, was intercepted once, but the Vikings limited the dual-threat quarterback to just four carries for 22 yards. On the bottom half of the D-II bracket, No. 2 Foothill (7-3) hosts No. 3 Red Bluff (9-2) at 7 p.m. in Palo Cedro. This game very well could have been in Red Bluff had the coach’s committee not made a mistake at the seeding meeting. The two teams enter having different momentum shifts. After Foothill began its season having won six of its first seven, the Cougars lost two of three to close out their season. Meanwhile Red Bluff, which lost 29-26 at home against Foothill on Oct. 18, has won four straight since the loss. During the regular season matchup the Cougars and Spartans were tied at 14-14 at halftime, and after a scoreless third quarter the Cougars scored in the final two minutes and sealed the win with a 2-point conversion. Red Bluff defeated No. 6 Las Plumas 42-0 in the opening round, while Foothill’s last game played before the bye week was a 32-13 loss to Enterprise on Nov. 8. Kicking off at 7 p.m., No. 2 Orland (9-2) and No. 6 Corning (5-6) face off for a second time this season in Orland. The first game between the Trojans and Cardinals was played in the rain on Orland’s grass field, and the forecast shows this will likely be the case once again. The Trojans defeated the Cardinals 34-14 on Nov. 1. After that game Corning coach John Studer said the conditions favor Orland’s downhill run game, whereas Corning likes to get to the edge more and cut, which can be hard on muddy field conditions. Corning upset No. 3 Yreka 24-20 last week, after being down 20-3 at one point. Orland is coming off a 42-6 win against No. 7 Pierce, in which quarterback Luke Schager set a new single-game rushing record for Orland football with 417 yards and four TDs. The Trojans’ defense shut out the Bears, with their lone score coming on a fumble returned for a TD. The D-III section championship will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 30 at the higher seed’s home field. No. 1 Winters (11-0) looks to stay undefeated when it hosts No. 2 East Nicolaus (7-4) for the NSCIF D-IV championship Saturday. Winters defeated No. 4 Hamilton 48-0 in the first round, while East Nicolaus defeated No. 3 Durham 40-28. The Warriors have seven of their 11 games via shutout, including defeating East Nicolaus 48-0 on Oct. 18 in Winters, and outscored their opponents 429-43. East Nicolaus has won three straight and outscored its opponents 312-235. While the D-II and D-III section championship games are held Nov. 30, the D-V section championship game is held the day before Thanksgiving on Nov. 27. The biggest implication this has for Friday’s games is that the two D-V semifinals must go on as scheduled (with the exception of lightning cancelling) to give teams time to prepare, whereas in other divisions games could be pushed towards future dates. No. 4 Los Molinos (6-5) hosts No. 8 Weed (5-6) at 7 p.m. in Los Molinos. Weed upset No. 1 Biggs in the quarterfinals 16-14, while Los Molinos defeated No. 5 Modoc 68-37. The Cougars and Bulldogs did not face off in the regular season. In the bottom half of the bracket, No. 2 Maxwell (10-1) hosts No. 6 Redding Christian (6-5) at 7 p.m. in Maxwell. Redding Christian upset No. 3 Etna 29-0, while Maxwell defeated No. 7 Fall River 41-30. Maxwell defeated Redding Christian 44-14 in both teams’ third game of the regular season on Sept. 13 in Redding. The winners of both games will face off at 7 p.m. Nov. 27 at the higher seed’s home field.