The Houston Astros will be working this offseason diligently to make sure Carlos Correa remains Astro for years to come. Correa will be the most sought-after free agent in a market that has several high-caliber shortstops. The ultimate question will be, how can Astros fans convenience Correa to stay?
When the Astros drafted Correa in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft, then and now former general manager Jeff Luhnow knew what kind of player Correa was. He probably did not realize how much of an impact Correa would have not only on the organization but the City of Houston as well.
Since Correa broke into the league in 2015, he has been the guiding light to this Astros team. Injuries plagued Correa early in his career, but he always kept pushing forward because he was confident in the abilities that he had been given.
So, with that, what will it take to convenience Correa to stay with the Astros? Well, we already know that he wants to remain with the Astros. Two people that Correa should sit down and talk to are Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. Two players that played their entire career with the Astros know a thing or two about the free-agent market.
When it came time for Bagwell to be a free agent, he was unsure if the Astros would offer him a deal, so he was prepared to test the market; luckily, the Astros came in at the eleventh hour and offered him a contract. Same with Biggio, and now both of them are Hall of Famers.
The Hall of Fame is where all players would like to be one day, but it is more than that for Correa. Correa talked all season about how these 2021 Astros grew as a family. With everything that they have been through, the Astros players had each other to lean on, and Correa was the glue that kept everything together.
Correa wants to get paid. He deserves it. What Correa has been able to do in the postseason has been remarkable. The Astros are a team that will be very competitive in the seasons to come, and Correa knows it. The opportunity to win another championship is right within his grasps, and it is with the Astros.
The Astros front office can get this done. Owner Jim Crane and general manager James Click are willing to do what it takes to keep Correa. Crane said it best, “We’re not afraid to spend the money if we think it makes the team better … Everyone knows what we need. We need a shortstop, and we need some more pitching.”
The Astros need to do whatever it takes to bring back Correa. Let’s get this man paid, so he is an Astro for life! No other team or fan base will love and appreciate Correa more than this Astros fanbase.
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