(SportsRadio 610) -- The Astros and Carlos Correa did not reach an agreement on a contract station before Opening Day and negotiations are expected to pause as the season begins.
Correa has been vocal about his desire for a contract extension prior to the season, so he can focus squarely on baseball.
But the two sides have not been able to reach an agreement, with Correa calling one previous offer of $120 million over six years "pretty low." Negotiations stalled after that offer, but picked up last weekend in hopes of getting a deal done before the season.
While Correa set the Opening Day deadline, Astros general manager James Click made it clear Thursday he'd be ready to negotiate during the season.
"Hopefully we can pick it back up at the appropriate time," Click said. "Our door is always open, but he wants to focus on winning and obviously we do, too."
Meanwhile, star shortstop Franciso Lindor agreed to a 10-year, $340 million deal with the New York Mets on Wednesday night.
Lindor along with Correa would have been among a star-studded cast of shortstops to hit the free agent market after this season.
With Lindor off the board, it leaves Correa, Corey Seager, Javier Baez and Trevor Story as potential free agent shortstops. Correa, 26, is the youngest among them.
The Astros would like to keep Correa, but the question is at what price.
Click has spoken before about balancing the desire to keep this championship core together, but also not handicapping the future.
"All of those things get taken into consideration when you're having these conversations," Click said. "Obviously, our ultimate goal is to win a World Series this year and to put ourselves in a position to win a World Series for years to come. And we want to keep this team competitive for as long as we possibly can.
"That is the driving force behind every single one of these conversations we have."
