(SportsRadio 610) -- Neither side seems to be afraid of free agency.
First, it was Carlos Correa at the start of Astros spring training making it clear he would not sell himself short and that he was sure of his worth.
Then, a stalemate between Correa and the Astros in reaching a contract extension by his self-imposed deadline of Opening Day last week.
Now, Astros owner Jim Crane is commenting publicly for the first time since negotiations fell flat before Opening Day.
"We respect Carlos. He's been a great asset for the team. He's a great spokesman for the team," Crane told FOX 26's Mark Berman at Minute Maid Park before the Astros' home opener against the A's. "He's gonna test the market and we're fine with that. We're still interested and we'll stay on top of that as the year finishes off and the door is always open here."
The only publicly known offers from the Astros to Correa are a six-year, $120 million extension, then later a five-year, $125 million extension.
Correa, who at 26 years old is the youngest in a group of high-level possible free agent shortstops after this season, is looking for a deal closer to that of Francisco Lindor.
The New York Mets and Lindor agreed to a 10-year, $341 million extension just before the season started last week.
Correa, however, told reporters the Astros made it clear they don't believe in signing similarly large, long-term deals.
