HOUSTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 02: Blake Taylor #62 of the Houston Astros is taken out of the game during the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves in Game Six of the World Series at Minute Maid Park on November 02, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Carlos Correa probably won’t accept the offer the Houston Astros just made him because he’ll almost certainly receive better offers elsewhere.
There’s a very strong argument to be made that Carlos Correa is the best shortstop in baseball right now. There’s an equally strong argument that could be made that he’s the best shortstop available in this free agency class. But the Houston Astros likely won’t be able to keep him.
That’s especially true after this lowball offer they just lobbed his way.
According to a tweet from Mark Berman of KRIV in Houston, the Astros made an offer of five years and $160 million to Correa.
Go ahead and expect him to turn that down.
Correa will likely find himself receiving offers of twice that this year. He’ll likely be looking at 10-year deals that sit around $300 million. While Houston probably can’t make something like that happen, other teams will be willing to make those sorts of offers.
Will Carlos Correa re-sign with the Houston Astros?
The Astros are going to be fighting an uphill battle to bring Correa back to Houston. With Correa’s talent and age, he’s arguably the best possible player any team could sign in this round of free agency. Even if he’s not the best player out there, he’s very clearly among the best available.
There are some questions about his injury history, but Correa is going to be a very valuable asset for whichever team is able to finally secure his services. While Houston fans will want him to return to Space City, that may not happen as Houston will need to prioritize finding quality starting pitching as it heads into 2022.
Assuming he turns this (relatively low) offer down (which he probably will), Correa isn’t the only shortstop available this offseason and he’s also not the only option Houston will have. It just depends on how creative the Astros want to get.