Astros didn’t budge that much. The Astros made Correa a six-year, $120MM offer and then followed with a five-year, $125MM proposal,
You guys do understand there's a big range between 5 yr / $125MM and 10 yr / $300MM? The Astros failed because they offered both relatively few years AND a low AAV. If Correa is really interested in signing, you have to offer something significant in one or the other - not necessarily both.
6 years is a long contract but I digress. I don’t fault HOU for not offering 10y...those deals never work out and really hamstring the club on the backend. Hopefully we can get to 8 years this offseason with a player opt-out early on, I think that would be fair for both sides. I hate saying this, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if Carlos gave us his standard 110 games in 2021. I’d love to see him put up an MVP campaign obviously, but if he goes bonkers over a full season he is absolutely gone. And this team is good enough to win this division with Correa slotted in the lineup ~100 times. If he performs in 2021 on par with everything to date, I think he maxes out at 8 years on the market, or maybe 10 years on a friendlier AAV. It’s such a loaded market with most teams set at SS that I don’t see the bidding war pushing into the territory he’s eyeing, but who knows.
I just cannot imagine the balls it must take to demand a 10 year deal coming off a season with a .709 OPS..... or the restraint it must have taken the FO to not laugh in his face for it.
Trying to find it again but I saw an article that had a breakdown of the free agent SS (written after the Lindor signing) and had Correa at 8 / 185 which was the lowest of the group (years and AAV). Back issues don’t tend to just disappear or get better as you age. As you said most of these long contracts have not worked out well, and being on the hook for 30-40 million for a 34 year old with back problems is a big risk that I don’t blame the Astros for not taking.
Maybe they didn’t want to be paying a 37 old center fielder 25 million in 6 years? I don’t think Correa is wrong that the Astros don’t like long contracts. I’d love Springer to be an Astro still, but I’m fine they didn’t match Toronto and happy Springer got paid. If another team is going to give Correa 10 / 300+, I’ll probably feel the same way. Maybe salary growth in the next 10 years will make these deals work out, but I think that was some of the logic of many deals that haven’t worked out because salary growth was relatively modest in the last 10 years.
Correa is really good, and he has the potential to be great, maybe even an all time great, but there’s no way I’m giving him 10 years 300 million. 5 150 maybe. Maybe...
10 year contracts are just silly. I love Correa and he’s an all time great postseason shortstop but he’s got to prove durability during 162. Come out and win MVP and make them pay you.
It wasn’t a long enough deal for Correa’s taste, but they did increase the AAV in the contract to $25 million per season.
I was sad to see Springer go and if this is it for Correa will be sad to see him but understand the reasons. That said I hope the team of 2017 doesn’t all leave the Stros. It was depressing we couldn’t get Biggio a ring but lived that he retired a Stro having worn only one team’s uniform his career. That’s something we see very little anymore and it would be cool to see that happen to Altuve.
Springer is hurt to start the season already. Contracts more 6 years almost ALWAYS turn into BAD contracts
Welcome to MLB, the only major U.S. professional sport without a salary cap unless you're willing to acknowledge college athletics dropped their amateur status a long time ago. If your franchise won't pay the market for talent, whether you agree with the market or not, another will.
MLB has a luxury tax and only one team is paying it. They’ve also had multiple instances of owners “colluding” to keep player salaries down. Functionally there is a cap. The Astros have the fourth highest payroll, so them not willing to do a ridiculous extension doesn’t mean they aren’t willing to spend as much as other franchises. With this many upcoming SS free agents out there, not all of them will get a Lindor sized contract.
