If the Houston Astros were going to have Carlos Correa this season, it was going to be on their terms.
Correa signed with the Minnesota Twins over the weekend, inking a three-year deal that comes with opt-outs after the first two seasons. Now, Correa can hit the open market again as soon as next offseason after not attaining the deal he was seeking this winter.
In the days leading up to his decision, rumors had been circulating that Correa was amenable to taking a one-year deal, and there was increased optimism around Astros players that Correa would return to Houston for another season.
Apparently, the Astros tweaking their offer to the shortstop didn’t really happen.
“Yeah, those were false reports. That never happened,” Audacy MLB Insider Bob Nightengale said Monday on Sports Radio 610’s “Clint Stoerner and The Show” in Houston. “They sat on the five-years at $160 million and didn’t budge. The big thing was if the Astros had put in an opt-out clause after Year 1, he’d be an Astro. But the Minnesota Twins did, a lot of teams weren’t going to do that, and the Minnesota Twins said you know what, we’ll give you the highest-paid contract ever for an infielder and you can use us to go get your big payday next year. Not too many teams were willing to do that, but the Twins were.”
Nightingale mentioned the Yankees also declined to make such a concession for Correa, as well.
Ultimately, the Astros knew they weren’t going to pay Correa what he’s seeking, whether that was this offseason or next. Clearly, they felt it was better to simply part ways now and have a clean break.
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