Mark Berman: Astros offering Carlos Correa a 5 year/160 million dollar contract

WHAT?

That wasn't what I meant at all. I merely would like to hear other takes from those that were there.

 

My mistake, and sorry about that. I apologize for misinterpreting your post.

 

I agree. Most here would. The timing of Correa saying this is odd to me though.

 

Jeter wasn't just overrated, he's arguably the single most damaging defensive player in mlb history. When you have F and at times F- level defense at the most important position, for 15+ years, it adds up

 

What KG told me a couple years ago is that it isn't the AGE of the player as much as it is the length of the contract. The Astros as an organization are scared of extending ANYONE, regardless of age and talent for more than 5-6 years and in the vast majority of cases, not even that long at a number that has a real impact on the payroll.

Now the ultimate test case is Carlos Correa, the crown jewel of the organization but I don't think we are going to see them navigate into unchartered waters enough to get the deal done. James Click is not someone that is going to support paying a player a large amount of money for a decade. That just isn't how he operates and isn't how he was taught in Tampa. So that leaves Crane as the only person that could possibly push the envelope and I am not confident he will over rule his baseball people and he has said that ultimately he feels a stronger obligation to his shareholders because that is his responsibility.

Baseball is not basketball where a team is defined by one player and Crane and Click and the front office and player development people know that.

 

What if they sign Carlos and then Verlander? Yankees to me would be a candidate to go all in like that for 2-3 years.

 

Could happen, sure.

 

Might have to change their name to the Yastros.

 

The point is what do you do with him when he is no longer productive.

 

... who is KG?

 

I wish they were more Patriot like with the media. Stop with the bs. Everyone knows a 5-6 year deal is a joke. In private, ownership has no problem telling you they know what they are doing and the results speak for themselves. To say Correa is their "top priority" after that offer is just nonsense. Just like Click pumping his chest out before the deadline talking about going over the luxury tax. PLEASE... it was so obvious the right decision was to stay under. I've said over and over I didn't expect them to give Correa the long contract. If you are going to fake it at least make it a more reasonable offer that he would still decline. Offering around half of what he will get in years and dollars and then leaking it to the press as a gesture to fans is stupid.

 

The only way to stop Correa from testing the market was to grossly overpay him, which they had no incentive to do. I feel very confident the Astros and Correa have an agreement that allows them to match any offer.

 

I hope Carlos Correa comes back.

Jeremy Pena I think he can play 3B because Alex Bregman could be out

Alex Bregman had wrist surgery, plus a bad hamstring, Bregman needs to lose muscle weight and be more slim, flexible SS.

Freudis Nova ain't ready, he had right knee surgery and he is out till 2022.

 

Yeah.... that's because the Astros REALLY want an ace at the top of their rotation.

 

I mean... in the grand scheme of things, it's easier to replace Correa than Verlander, in part because you can spread Correa's production around. You can upgrade CF, C; if Bregman is healthy, he can close some of the gap, etc.

 

Whether the team is winning obviously impacts the bottom line, but so does having recognizable players to sell to your fan base. Look at Bagwell and Biggio or the Tampa Bay Rays. That’s not an argument to say they should sign Correa to a 10 year argument, but just to say a real “bottom line” conversation would actually pay more attention to that than just a players performance.

In terms of shareholder value 10 year contracts clearly aren’t bad. The clubs with the highest value (Yankees, Dodgers, Angels, Cubs, etc) have all signed big contracts like this and if anything having big name players associated with your franchise and only your franchise helps the bottom line (other things being equal). What Crane is really saying is that the Astros exist as a MLB team in a particular media market has much more to do with the value of the franchise to a shareholder than any decision on whether to sign a player to a 5 year or 10 year contract. So why sign someone to a 10 year contract. He’s not necessarily wrong, but it’s not good for business to just say that so bluntly.

 

Pretty sure a part of what makes great players great is that they aren't afraid of high expectations. Does anyone want a player that only wants to play somewhere with low expectations?

 

I think Correa is fine with being a villain and maybe even enjoys it. I don't think this at all closes the door on him to NY. Fans will forgive as soon as he hits his first HR or whatever.

 

I think that's vastly overrating the concept of selling players to a fanbase. They've shed high-end, popular talent over the years and have not seen it impact their bottom line. Keeping Correa for 10 years because he sells tickets does not - and should not - trump weighing the on-field advantages/disadvantages of paying Correa for 10 years. If the Astros can build a team as good/better without Correa's large contract, winning will ultimately drive asses to seats.