Astros Reportedly Offer Carlos Correa 5-Year, $160 Million Deal
In what feels like more of an empty gesture that allows them to save face with their fans, the Astros have reportedly offered Carlos Correa a deal worth $32 million annually. The only problem is that, as Mark Berman of FOX 26 in Houston reports, the deal is for just five years. While the AAV would be the 10th-highest of all time, the total value of $160 million is well below what Correa will command on the open market.
MLB sources: The @astros have offered free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa a five-year contract worth $160 million, averaging $32 million a year.
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) November 6, 2021
The All-Star shortstop will be entering his age-27 season and indicated to NBC Sports Chicago’s Gordon Wittenmyer in October that he’d be seeking 10 years or maybe more.
“You know, a lot of people don’t believe in 10-year contracts and in long-term deals and all that,” Correa said. “But when you look at most of the 10-year contracts they’ve been giving out, the long-term deals, they’re players that are 31, 30, 32.
“I’m going to be 27 on my first year. I’m young, I’m healthy, and I perform. So we’ll see what happens.”
If that’s the case, the Astros’ offer might only be about half of what Correa is expecting to land this winter. Even with the Cubs signaling a bit more willingness to spend by claiming Wade Miley off waivers from the Reds, a $300 million contract seems like a bridge too far. They have been gathering intel on top shortstops, though, and Correa’s youth means he’d still be productive well into what the Cubs expect to be their next competitive window.
It’s hard to imagine anything getting done one way or the other with these monster deals, particularly with the CBA stuff looming so large, so prepare to keep hearing quite a bit of chatter over the next several weeks. Maybe even months.