The deal with Altuve was 7 years. The deal for Bregman was 5 years, though that included three arbitration years. McCullers is a 5 year deal, though it doesn't start till next year. That's why I believe 7 years @ $30 is the MOST we'll go and maybe not that much. That's why incentives seem to be the only solution to bringing the sides together. And incentive limits are sure to be an issue when hammering out a new CBA. Hey, even a mutual option/opt outs with buyouts can be made to work. If there is a will, there is a way. The question is whether there will be a will when the negotiations get tough. Tough negotiations often lead to hurt feelings and an irrational end to negotiations. This is an unusual year with so many unusually good SS providing extraordinary supply at the position. And many of the biggest FA spenders have either tied up their Future SS or invested in other positions reducing the demand for them. I can't imagine things will settle out before the season starts. It will get a little desperate a couple of weeks before Spring Training is over.
4 years @ $30M/yr 2 years @$25M/yr 2 years @$20M/yr Player opt out after 4 This is the deal that I want to see
With Salary boosts of $3M on remaining years for MVP, $2M for 2nd, $1M for 3rd like Bregmans. Pie in the sky potential for Correa. 2022 $30M MVP ($30M) 2023 $33M MVP ($30M+$3M) 2024 $36M MVP ($30M+$6M) 2025 $39M MVP ($30M+$9M) 2026 $37M MVP ($25M+$12M) Player Opt out / $30M Team buyout. 2027 $40M MVP ($25M+$15M) 2028 $38M MVP ($20M+$18M) 2029 $41M ($20M+$21M) FA Potential 8 year $294M deal Potential 4 year $120M deal Potential 8 year $210M deal The last is how it would probably be booked against the cap. Interesting.
That’s an absurd offer. The Astor’s shouldn’t even bother picking up the phone if that’s what they have to say. It’s not quite as insulting as the initial 6/120 but it’s close.
Every team in baseball (More or less) would line up to pay Trout 60 million on a 1 year deal. What was Bauer- like maybe the 15th best pitcher in baseball if you were going to power rank then last year? He got like 45 per bc he took a 1 year deal. Yes- top 10 players in their absolute peak would get 50 or 60 on 1 year deals. Correa is a top 10 guy imo.
Bump it up to $35/yr for the first 4 years, and you have an 8 yr $230M deal. Actually, it is the correct deal, and perhaps even generous given Correa's inconsistent history. Obviously, some other team will offer more, possibly a lot more. But that will be the absurd deal.
In the Days before the Salary CAP, a handful of teams would do that, Now it seems only the Dodgers don't care about the CAP.
I bet there's a work Stoppage in 2022. It serves nobody's interest so neither side thinks they have to give in. Will it be a few games like in 1972 and 1995, significant like in 1981, absurd like 2020 or disastrous like 1994. I don't think the players will rebel to end the stoppage like in 1995. They've been conditioned to go along without question. Just watch how quickly cordial talks become contentious talks and then no talks. When both sides believe they have the winning hand neither will call. They will raise the stakes to the end. Right now we see the slow play trying to keep everybody in the hand.
Lindor & Tatis have set the market. Correa should expect $300M+. Maybe you could work out a deal that has an opt out after 2-3 years that lets him hit FA again, but it is the only way I see it happening.
I feel like some people are just in denial. All the information out there points to him being gone, and I would say even more so than Springer. Correa's comments when the Astros told him they wouldn't do a longer deal, Altuve saying this is their last year together, Lindor's contract, etc. The Astros have gone to the ALCS 4 years in a row while losing Keuchel, Morton, Cole, and Springer. I trust them to make the best decision to maximize their chances of winning within their budget. Sometimes that means spreading the money around instead of dumping it in one man's bank account.
They've also had to try and replace some of those players (and in some cases with even higher priced players with lesser results), they've had some farm system prospects fall through that led to other trades, and they've committed to keeping the payroll close to the luxury tax level as long as they're in contention. But in this case, it is interesting that the fan narrative has gone from "he's never going to be worth it due to injury" to now "no player is worth that much, ever". I don't see Crane chasing it... if he has a team that does not have what it takes to contend, I see him ordering a full rebuild and jettisoning anybody who makes money. But till then (and again, this is basically a 3 year window with the only other high priced players they have), I expect the payroll to be close to this level with give/take either way depending on who's available... and the sentiment (with playoff revenue) factor that led to the Altuve extension and JV extension being a variable that can lead to unexpected offers.